City Heat
Burt Reynolds suffered a serious accident and had his jaw broken when he was hit in the face with a metal chair while filming a fight scene on this movie. Reynolds was restricted to a liquid diet and lost over thirty pounds by the time this movie wrapped. The accident had dire consequences for Reynolds' next movie project, "Stick (1985)." In that movie, Reynolds looked underweight, weak, and thin, and this condition was because of this accident. Apparently, the accident led to Reynolds becoming addicted to painkillers.,When Murphy uses the phone in his office it has a coiled cord, These were not used until the 1950's This movie is set in 1933.,Mike Murphy: [Speer has silently entered Murphy's office] I didn't hear you knock, Lieutenant.
Lt. Speer: What a relief. I thought I must be going deaf.,Featured in At the Movies: The Stinkers of 1984 (1985),City Heat
Written by Irene Cara and Bruce Roberts
Sung by Joe Williams,It's 1933 and in Kansas City, we follow that of Detective Murphy, as his partner has just been killed by some big-heads and he finds himself caught up in the web he has left behind. While, this is going on Lieutenant Speer also investigates, but when the two collide, there are some fireworks, as they have a work history together. But they have to put their differences aside, if they are going to get the job done.

Should I call this a disappointment, because the effortlessly shallow material just doesn't go hand-to-hand with the talent that was involved. This parody / drama on noir and tough-guy images is no more than a vehicle for the two stars, who just seem to be slumming it out here. It's not a bad film, because it's well made, but the story doesn't entirely hit any strides, it changes direction between spoof and drama with mixed results and it can be quite tedious in spots. All the accolades though, would have to go to the delightfully smooth Burt Reynolds in the role as the charismatic, smart-guy detective Murphy. His presence definitely overshadows Eastwood. But the colourful banter and always at odds attitude between the two, makes it a fun pairing up to watch, as they work off each rather nicely. Clint Eastwood, plays the straight-faced, no-bull Lieutenant Speer with his usual approach and sly humour. They both get some highly witty, top-notch lines. The supporting cast are satisfactory with the likes of Rip Torn, Jane Alexander, Irene Cara, Richard Roundtree and Robert Davi dusting in with a skew of personalities. While, they're worth better material, they all do the best with what they're given to work with. The feel of the 1930's has an artificial air about it here, as clearly you can't escape the back-lot sets. But still it's professionally catered for with a pleasant blues score and a dour colour scheme crafted in to get that glum, wet atmospheric night build-up of Kansas City. The direction of Richard Benjamin is quite standard, but it has some neat photography techniques of the period and a few flashy impulses, like one fine and exciting late-night shoot-out in a deserted street.

Nothing much out of the ordinary and very forgettable, but only the fans of two stars should really bother with this one.,