Masterful Movie

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

"City Heat" pairs two macho screen icons, Clint "Dirty Harry" Eastwood and Burt "The Bandit" Reynolds, in an average cops & gangsters saga set in 1933 Kansas City. Clint is ultra-straight police lieutenant Speer, Burt is wisecracking gumshoe Mike Murphy. They were friends when they were both on the force, but now they're often at odds with each other (exactly why there was a falling out, we never really learn). They must work together when Mikes' partner Dehl Swift (Richard "Shaft" Roundtree) buys a whole lot of trouble by getting mixed up with competing gangsters Primo Pitt (Rip Torn) and Leon Coll (Tony Lo Bianco), and a stolen set of ledgers.There are some interesting behind-the-scenes stories that are, in truth, more amusing than the tale being spun in the movie. Apparently, this was originally going to be directed by Blake Edwards, but Clint gave him the boot, ultimately settling on actor-turned-filmmaker Richard Benjamin as a replacement, and brought on a number of his cohorts, including producer Fritz Manes and composer Lennie Niehaus. And Burt got hurt badly during the opening fight set piece; like a trouper, he finished the picture, but could never work for long, and unfortunately suffered some lasting effects from his injuries.The stars are in fine form, as they banter back and forth. Burt definitely has the funnier role and makes the most of it; he's charming as usual. And they're wonderfully supported by Roundtree, songstress Irene Cara, Torn, Lo Bianco, and a typically amusing Madeline Kahn. Lots of familiar faces in small roles, too: William Sanderson, Nicholas Worth, Robert Davi, John Hancock, Jack Thibeau, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Art La Fleur, Jack Nance, Harry Caesar, Hamilton Camp, Arthur Malet, Beau Starr, Richard Foronjy, and Joan Shawlee. But it's a lot of acting talent wasted on what is really just a so-so script. It has some pretty funny humour, but is often played fairly straight, with a lot of gunfire and a few explosions along the way.During the Christmas season of 1984, "Beverly Hills Cop" ended up kicking this movies' ass at the box office, and almost 34 years later, this movie still doesn't have a LOT to recommend it. But it's zippy enough, and reasonably well paced, with some decent period recreation and a nice jazzy score by Niehaus. Thanks to this cast, it certainly remains watchable.Six out of 10.

"City Heat" was released a week before "The Cotton Club" in December, 1984. It's basically a farce version of that film, set in Kansas City. You would think that with Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood this would be a solid gangster comedy, if not great, but you'd be wrong.The opening scene where Reynolds gets in a brawl in a diner while Eastwood coolly sits nearby keys off that "City Heat" is not meant to be taken seriously; in fact, it's downright goofy. It's not a good start and the film never recovers.The movie's only 93 minutes long, but it seems a lot longer. Something about it doesn't click. The characters are cartoons so it's next to impossible to care about them. The problem isn't Reynolds or Eastwood, as they have their usual charisma. The problem is the farcical nature of the material and the convoluted plot.Still, it's amusing at times so it's mildly worthwhile if you're a fan of the stars, just don't expect anything all that good.GRADE: D+ or C-

From the other comments, it seems like most people expect movies starring superstars to always be block busters. Sometimes a movie is just a movie i.e. simple entertainment.This one is in the great tradition of the screwball comedies/caper comedies that used to be popular with Cary Grant, Tony Curtiss, William Powell way back when. It's funny & occasionally witty and the pairing of the taciturn Eastwood & prattling Reynolds along with Jane Alexandar as the sharp secretary makes for a fun couple of hours (OK, 93 mins). Compared to other Eastwood comedies such as "Every Which Way but Loose", this works better. Too bad critics & audiences didn't like it as much or we might have a nice set of sequels in the tradition of the Thin Man.

@_At first, there was a script of one thriller comedy in the frame of the American gangster movies of the 1930s. And when it comes from a writer / director who has the good name of (Blake Edwards) then you have to expect a sweet comedy, a delicious cartoon feel, and some wicked parody too. But this script never saw the light fully, because the man quitted the project quickly, and after a while he changed his name on the credits to (Sam O. Brown) ??!! It is (Edwards)'s only time to do such a thing during a great career of more than 40 movies and TV shows he wrote ! &_(Clint Eastwood) was a big star at the moment. And he was chosen to co-star the movie with the era's other star, and maybe his competitor, (Burt Reynols). Though (Eastwood), who achieved some success since 1971 as a director, wanted to make this movie a something of his own; as if a Dirty Harry in the 1930s, with artsy melancholic sense. You read matters like how he forced the director to put his eyes always in shadows like it's a remake of The Third Man or something! Let alone that he insisted on the typical serious (Eastwood)'s image in a movie that maybe was designed to mock at this very image as a cold blooded, super violent, good guy. To understand the original spoof-driven nature of the movie, just look at the massive street fight where (Eastwood)'s character attacked the entire gang single-handedly to destroy all of them; it's the usual (Eastwood)'s action, however designed as a hurly-burly live-cartoon sketch. I bet, that was (Edwards)' idea, as one of his gifted extravaganzas, or what remained of it here anyway !Therefore when you observe the name of (Joseph Stinson), who wrote (Sudden Impact – 1983) the previous hit of (Eastwood), next to the name of the departed (Edwards), along with your feeling sometimes that (Eastwood)'s scenes seem so (Eastwood)'s; you'll easily understand that it's not quite a coincidence ! By the way, back then, this (Eastwood)'s slight narcissism was hardly noticed, but within no time, it would be more than tangible, especially when he wouldn't act unless in movies directed by him or – at least – directed by his friends like Buddy Van Horn who directed (The Dead Pool – 1988) and (Pink Cadillac – 1989) for him. So that kind of Eastwood by Eastwood condition, which would have him completely later, left its early bad effects on this poor movie !#_(Burt Reynolds) broke his jaw while he was shooting his first scene, the first scene of the movie also, then he got too many medicines along with painkillers, hence the lively star lost 20 KG in no time, and maybe they changed some parts in the script to handle that carefully. So if you doubted that the one who was moving in a wolf disguise was no (Reynolds), then you were probably right !Now we have 3 scripts, or 3 ways to make one movie, or 3 unfinished movies that must be all in one by director (Richard Benjamin). But actually : @ + & + # = *?%!%$%^%#{@! WAW!!, this could be unexpectedly the right formula of success, the secret code of a box office hit or another classic. However, it turned out to be a petty concurrent mishmash !The final result was, at best, one of the violent buddy-cop movies of the 1980s, yet running in the 1930s, and being less enjoyable than its likes. Despite some action comedy and little funny lines, the script looked so disassembled, Eastwood's comedy looked fabricated and tasteless, the time that the 2 stars shared on screen was less than 15 minutes, and then there was that scene where (Reynolds) was talking about the greatness and the difficulty of being a cop; like we're in a serious movie or wannabe one! Basically we didn't even know the reason why (Reynolds)'s character left the force and turned into detective !!I think that the movie's last line is the fairest review it can get : (You'll always be "shorty" to me) as it failed in fulfilling its main promise concerning 2 great icons in one hot action comedy, or making anything perfect anyway. It's simply a case of a movie with too short of everything !