Raw Deal (1986)

Such a frustrating disappointment

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

This movie started out great. An awesome stunt scene, and some great Arnie acting. I liked the husband and wife dynamic in the beginning too. I think thats something you don't regularly get in an Arnie movie.The problem is, once Arnold starts making his way into his mission, the story gets really boring. Sure there are some good moments in the story, and there is some great stunt work, and explosions, but I didn't relate to Arnie's character, once he started to turn heel.The bit that really perplexed me was to fix the gangster problem they're having, Arnie just kills them all, instead of gathering evidence and arresting the big guys. I love a good nonsensical action movie, where killing a bunch of guys trumps reason, but these guys didn't do anything to Arnie. He just snapped. They didn't hurt his wife, they didn't threaten him in any way, he just snapped. Only then did they realise he was a "good guy".I think it could have been a good movie, and for the stunt work alone, its worth a watch, but over all, it was kind've a sh*tty movie.

By the Numbers and Void of Style, this Arnold Vehicle is just that. A Rather Badly Acted Movie that Moves from One Scene to Another with No Regard for Interest or Logic. It is just a Matter of a Bunch of Scenes that are there for there Own Amusement and have Little Regard for the Rest of the Proceedings.The Love Interest that Arnold Engages in with a Beautiful Woman is All Over the Map before its Over and One can Only Guess at any given Time where it Stands. But that's not why People Watch an Arnold Action Movie. So there are a lot of Things Blowing Up and a lot of Bodies Piled Up.The Supporting Cast of these Cartoon Thugs are all there to be Killed by Our Hero before its Over and the Only Intrigue is in What Order. The Two Major Shootouts are so Uninterestingly Filmed that it Looks Like They just Wanted to get it Over With. Line 'em up and Mow 'em down.The Muscled Star does His Thing but He is put in a Package that doesn't even have Pretty Wrapping. It's All Eighties Glitz and so Unappealing that Today it Looks Ten Times Worse than it did when it was Made and it Looked Pretty Bad even then.

Arnold Schwarzenegger "classic" actioner full of unintentional comedy. Arnold plays a small town sheriff who used to be an FBI agent. He was kicked out of the FBI because he roughed up a suspect ("He molested, murdered and mutilated her!"). But now Arnold has a chance to get back in if he goes undercover inside a mobster's gang. So naturally he agrees, fakes his death, and doesn't tell his wife a thing! Laughable to the extreme, this movie would have killed a lesser mortal's career. But not Ah-nold. Riding high after the Conan films, Terminator, and Commando, I suppose he was allowed one stinker. He would follow this with Predator and Running Man to prove to the world he was still the action champ. Honestly, it's not a great movie. Even for a dumb action movie, it's especially stupid. But it does have a lot of funny moments; most of which are unintended. If you are an Arnold fan or a fan of '80s action movies, regardless of quality, definitely give it a shot.

This Arnie action flick which isn't badly acted by our man of brawn, sees him back in action, at the request of an old cop friend, FBI chief (Darren McGavin), whose son was killed by the Chicago mafia, while working undercover. A certain leak was involved. Arnie must find this SOB. So he leaves his position as small town sheriff, no one more disapproving than his wife of his current rut, who throws a chocolate cake at him with the word S..T decorated on it. Luckily Arnie ducks, then says in that block voice, "You shouldn't drink and bake". So he suits up, fakes his death, in one cool explosion scene (Arnie great, at lighting fires with his cigar) and moves to Chicago, under an assumed named, with a character, that of a bad arse. It isn't soon, before Arnie's mixing with mafia, making waves, etc. Arnie, too has his own score to settle, with a certain guy in the FBI, that led to his sacking in the bureau, and deportment, where his new occupancy, in this little town, would put you on quite a downer for a while. So it's good that we've got the revenge aspect of it to, not just for McGavin. Arnie strikes up a relationship, with a girl (Harrold-Mcgruder And Loud) of one the mob's cronies, (Davi). Davi kind of smells something fishy about this new guy from the word, "Go", where it's great to see Arnie and him square off in particular scenes, and Davi's got the classic, ugly skinned, unattractive, villainous look, that's made him shine in so many other films, whether either playing good or bad. Just when the action dies in this, it starts up again. Something's always happening. The baddies here are really bad, some of them, visually, real ugly sorts, who don't care who you have to waste, to get the job done. You should see one of them get frustrated at golf. Arnie' inserting a Rolling Stones's tape, and single handedly, taking out many bad folk, on a construction site to Jagger's "Satisfaction" with just another cool moment. It was sad though, McGavin's ill fortune, the result of a bungled shootout in a cemetery, where everything came up roses for Arnie in the end. Raw Deal is quite a smart action, if enthusiastic movie, with a lot of great scenes that are addictive, with some great sticking dialogue, from writers you'd like to have on board your project. It's and a cool opening score if I ever heard one, that warrants a few rewinds and plays, with establishing shots of our baddies, one of them Victor Argo, who went on to many other roles. Arnie, standing tall, prominent, and cool in the black jacket, delivering that line on "poetic justice" to our leak, was another highpoint Schwarzenegger moment, making him choose between resigning or being prosecuted, like he did with Arnie. The pacey country music theme after the opening shootout, where the credits come up is most unfitting.