SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

George Taylor Williams and a mugging Piscopo are cops who run into an evil plan to bring the dead back to life to do another's bidding. While the SFX are great, especially when all the animals in a chinese restaurant, including half pigs, come to life, the story is mundane. Just ok.

tavm After 25 years of hearing of this, I finally got to see Dead Heat on Netflix disc just now. Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo are cops investigating a jewel robbery. I'll stop there and just say that the plot gets weirder when it involves zombies. But Piscopo has some good funny lines, there are a couple of fine-looking women in Lindsay Frost and Clare Kirkconnell, and some nice villains portrayed by Keye Luke, Darren McGavin, and the legendary Vincent Price. Much of the makeups and special effects are a bit on the cheezy side but since none of it is meant to be taken too seriously, it's actually quite a hoot to watch. So on that note, I recommend Dead Heat. P.S. I also recommend listening to the commentary track involving the director, writer, and the two producers as well as watch the deleted scenes on the disc especially one that has Roger Corman/Joe Dante player Dick Miller as a guard who mentions a famous comedian once associated with one of the players!

Steve Pulaski If there was ever a successful way to blend the drastically different genres of comedy and horror this film proves it. Dead Heat is an enjoyable genre hybrid that has enough scares for the horror label, enough laughs for the comedic name, and enough high speed moments to be branded an action film. It mixes these genres in hope to create not a great film, but an enjoyable zombie film with plenty of wit and fun.Treat Williams is a fantastic detective in films. No wonder he was typecast in the field of crime in many roles. Here, he plays Detective Roger Mortis (Williams) who's partner is the incompetent yet looser Doug Bigelow (Piscopo). When called to the scene of a robbery, the detectives notices that when the robbers are bombarded with blows to the legs torso they don't die. A quick trip to the lab shows that the robbers were once dead but somehow came back to life.When investigating the chemical compound plant that apparently stitched these two zombies together, Bigelow and Mortis discover that the plant is up to no good, housing odd, deformed creatures of an indescribable nature. After a run in with one of those mutants, Mortis is locked in the asphyxiation room and is supposedly dead on sight. However, he is revived with a beam and...I give up. Have I lost you? I feel I've lost myself trying to write such madness. This is truly a mindless zombie flick, not meant for heavy criticism of plausibility. With zombie films, you must suspend disbelief. With Dead Heat, you must completely escape reality. Normally, I criticize horror films for lack of plausibility. Hell, I criticize movies in general for that flaw. But sometimes, you really have to forego the idea of believability. Here, it's almost vital.Piscopo and Williams are excellent, and it's so rare for horror films to allow their actors to form good chemistry. Usually, they're just running around screaming and swearing at each other. The talent here, from all actors, is true to their names and above average for any prior expectations.The effects are also of high quality. All practical, of course. All in glorious bright colors. The mutations look lifelike, and the zombie makeup on Treat Williams is exquisite while remaining subtle until necessary.I'm done trying to critique a film that doesn't even want to be. Dead Heat knows what it is, which can be a battle for horror films. It doesn't need to be reminded of more successful pictures of the same genre, and doesn't need to scan the blueprint of a certain famous George Romero zombie film. It's original, quick, witty, jumpy, and fun. I thought movies weren't allowed to possess all those traits.Starring: Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo. Directed by: Mark Goldblatt.

joe_quarterback I watched this movie some years ago, one night I couldn't sleep 'cause of a bad case of flu. It was 2 am, and nothing else was on TV, only infomercials. So, I started to watch it and caught my attention immediately. OK, there are a bunch of bad jokes, but I laughed like crazy, and for an 80's movie, it's quite good. I can't find the DVD south of the border, but if I do, of course I'll buy it. I remember great performances of Treat Williams in "The Substitute" saga, but this is priceless. Not the best, of course, but fun to watch. Can't deny it, it's a little guilty pleasure of mine, but I can't remember seen another movie like this one. Perfect to watch if you got nothing better to do.