Cinema Revisited: City Heat (1984)

City Heat

Directed by Richard Benjamin. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Madeline Kahn, Jane Alexander. Rip Torn, Irene Cara, Richard Roundtree, Tony Lo Bianco, Robert Davi. Released December 7, 1984 Running time: 93 minutes.

On the cover of the January 9, 1978 issue of Time Magazine, Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood stood together smiling, representing their top box office superstardom as Hollywood headliners. It was reportedly at this photo shoot that the two of them talked about co-starring in a project some day. Burt and Clint had a similar history. Both were fired on the same day from Universal studios back in the 1950s. Each of them had early success in TV. Both became such big stars, they were able to start their own production companies and choose their own projects.

When they finally found a idea they both liked, it was a story by Blake Edwards called “City Heat.” It was set in the early 30s and the screenplay poked fun not only at the iconic gangster dramas from that era, it also parodied Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character. The stipulation to the script was that Edwards would also direct the film. Eastwood loved the script, but clashed creatively with Edwards the director, so eventually he was replaced with Richard Benjamin. This was to be the only film in which these two 1970s icons appear together.

The story is a rather standard one, where private eye Reynolds and city detective Eastwood, two former partners who don’t like each other, are bound together chasing down the same racketeers for different reasons. Set in 1933, the period flavor is nicely mounted by director Benjamin who specialized in attention to detail (“My Favorite Year,” “Racing With the Moon”). Every car, all of the costumes, the background music, even a sequence in a theater (where the Marx Brothers film “Horse Feathers” is playing), all keep the film at 1933 (The Marx film is a 1932 release but is double-featured with “Gold Diggers of 1933”).

The fun comes from both Reynolds and Eastwood playing within type and not only showing good chemistry, but using their established personae for parody. While the glib, lighthearted Reynolds character approaches each situation with bravery supported by caution, the tight-lipped Eastwood walks into the line of fire with snarling determination. It is not so much a buddy film as it is an anti-buddy film, utilizing elements of noir that are played with deadly seriousness, while letting the subtle satire provide the humor. Each man had already reached icon status by the time this movie was made, and they both comfortably play off of their respective legends.

“City Heat” came out at a time when parodies of gangster movies were a popular sub genre. Carl Reiner’s “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” (1982) goes so far as to intercut clips from vintage noir films and edit comedian Steve Martin into the process. Eschewing such gimmickry, “City Heat” approaches its influences more artfully. While the supporting players are appropriately over-the-top, the central co-stars anchor the film. Rip Torn chews the scenery with gusto as one of the bad guys, while Irene Cara fits neatly into the period as a jazzy lounge singer. Rounding out the film with familiar faces like Robert Davi, Madeline Kahn, Jane Alexander, and Tony Lo Bianco adds a certain cinematic authenticity, but seventh-billed Richard Roundtree is given comparatively little screen time despite what appeared to be something of a buildup during his early scenes.

Cinematically, “City Heat” is not significant or impactful. In its time it was panned by critics, Roger Ebert giving it a half-star rating and asking, “how do travesties like this get made?” Reynolds received a Razzie award for worst performance of the year.

However, now, as an old movie from another time that depicts a period from much earlier, the sardonic edge, the lightweight satire, and the disruptive action scenes give the film a different perspective. It now holds up as an insignificant-yet-entertaining bit of uneven fluff that allows us to see two old actors at the height of their stardom having some fun with their respective images.