Retro Film Review: Raw Deal (1986)

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According to Hollywood, being forced to live in rural America is fate worse than death. And this is exactly the thing that happened to the protagonist of Raw Deal, 1986 action thriller directed by John Irvin. In the beginning we are introduced to Mark Kaminsky (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), sheriff in small North Carolina town who used to be FBI agent before being kicked out for roughing up suspect. Dull and monotonous rural life is something Kaminsky can handle, but this is not the case with his sensitive wife Amy (played by Blanche Baker) who finds comfort in alcohol. In such circumstances Kaminsky is approached by his old friend and FBI agent Harry Shannon (played by Darren McGavin) whose son had been killed by goons belonging to Chicago mob boss Patrovita (played by Sam Wanamaker). Shannon wants to bring down Patrovita and his organisation, but he needs outsider for the job, since FBI and law enforcement have always been compromised by leaks. Kaminsky agrees to help him, stages his own death, assumes new identity and comes to Chicago in order to join ranks of Patrovita's gang. He manages to impress Patrovita's lieutenants by spectacular display of physical force, which is something Patrovita needs in the new war against his former partner Lamanski (played by Steven Hill). Kaminsky seems to enjoy mobsters' trust and collects valuable information from the inside, but his mission becomes complicated after meeting with Monique (played by Kathryn Harrold), beautiful woman with gambling problems.

Raw Deal is one of the more obscure titles in Arnold Schwarzenegger's filmography, but it is not as bad as such obscurity would indicate. Made immediately after The Terminator and Commando, this film obviously tried to exploit Schwarzenegger's new image of unstoppable one-man army. The main problem with this comes from the script by Gary de Vore and Norman Wexler. The genre of police thriller and the urban Chicago setting are not suited for the carnage we expect from Schwarzenegger's characters in 1980s movies. Screenwriters and director John Irvin seem aware of this and until the very end this film looks surprisingly good - characters seem realistic, mostly due to the presence of very talented ("over-qualified", cynics would say) supporting actors who do a fine job (with the exception of Steven Hill of Law & Order fame in more than thankless role of Jewish mobster). Even the story works good, with few not so predictable twists and even some bad dialogue is tolerable. However, the film begins to crumble when Schwarzenegger's character prepares to single-handedly take down scores of armed opponents in a scene that is almost shot-by-shot remake of similar segment in Commando. What happens after that scene borders on parody, with our unstoppable hero casually mowing down thugs and driving in the same time, accompanied by "Satisfaction" by "Rolling Stones". Depending on the viewers' previous expectations, some would be satisfied with the spectacular armed confrontation that finally delivers Schwarzenegger's trademark goods, while others would be disappointed by cheesy scenes that compromised otherwise serious film. In any case, when the end credits come, Raw Deal looks like a mildly entertaining little exploitation film that nevertheless leaves the general impression of plenty of wasted potentials.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on June 21st 2001)