In 1984, Clint Eastwood teamed with another screen icon forCity Heat, which became one of the star’s biggest disappointments. While Eastwood has worked non-stop since the 1950s, it’s fair to say the 1980s was one of his weaker decades. If anything, the reception toCity Heatis emblematic of his spotty record during the decade. Outside ofClint resurrecting the Western genre withPale Riderin 1985or helming his own favorite movie,Bronco Billy, much of his output like would-be blockbusterFirefoxor lame action-comedyPink Cadillacprovedverydisappointing.
Regardless of the tepid critical response to his ’80s output, Eastwood was still a major box-office draw. The best example of this isthe fourthDirty Harrymovie,Sudden Impact. Despite only earning 51% from critics (viaRotten Tomatoes), this sequel was one ofClint’s biggest hitsof the decade, nabbing over $67 million worldwide. Eastwood followed up withCity Heat, a two-hander between him and Burt Reynolds, with the duo playing bickering former friends looking into a murder in Kansas City during the 1930s.
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Clint Eastwood & Burt Reynolds' City Heat Was Meant To Be One Of 1984’s Biggest Hits
Warner Bros expected big things from their Eastwood & Reynolds team-up
Eastwood and Burt Reynolds were two of the biggest leading men of their day, with the latter’s most famous work includingtheSmokey and the BanditmoviesandDeliverance. He and Clint were lifelong friends too, so pairing them for a big-budget action thriller likeCity Heatshouldhave made it one of 1984’s highest-grossers. Instead,City Heatreceived near-universal pans and while it took in $38 million, this was still regarded as a major underperformanceconsidering the stars attached. The issue with this comic noir is that it’s never entirely clearwhatit wants to be.
It could be a serious Clint Eastwood thriller in one scene, a screwball comedy fronted by Reynolds the next, and the tones never fully gel. It doesn’t help that the film has a needlessly complicated and thoroughly unengaging plot.City Heatat least has a couple of good action sequences - including the successful sight gag of Clint and Burt trying to one up each another in terms of pistol sizes - but they’re nothing memorable either.Even Reynolds (viaThe Los Angeles Times) quickly realized the film was a dudin the making.
Ten days after shooting began, I knew I was going to take the fall. Clint was playing formula Clint that always worked for Clint. I was playing Jack Lemmon in this strange film where people were getting blown away. I never read a review of the film, because I knew I was going to get killed by the critics. The public wanted ‘Boom Town’ or to see us in a contemporary film. They didn’t want ‘Dirty Harry vs. the Wimp.’
The film was notable for suffering through a messy production too, where the original director was fired by Eastwood and the replacement essentially followed his leading man’s marching orders.The biggest shame is there are moments ofCity Heatthat work, such as the opening diner fightor the running gag of Eastwood’s Lieutenant Speer becoming unstoppable when angered.City Heatjust never finds the right balance between its disparate elements. Compared to movies likeGhostbustersorBeverly Hills Cop, it barely made a dent at the box office in 1984.
Eastwood Fired City Heat’s Original Director Just Before Filming
Clint Eastwood wasn’t onboard with Blake Edwards' vision
Eastwood has funny moments inCity Heat, but broad comedy hasneverbeen his strong suit. Throughout most of the film, Speer remains the cliche tough guy cop Eastwood built his career on.City Heatwas originally calledKansas CityJazzand was to be written and helmed by comedy legend Blake Edwards. However, Reynolds recalled a meeting where he, Edwards and Eastwood met to discuss the project - and it was clear the collaboration was doomed.
Blake laid out his way for Clint to play his part. To me, it was clearly apparent that Blake’s way was in no way how Clint saw the part. Clint didn’t say anything except his Gary Cooper comments like ‘Yup’ and ‘Nope.’ Clint and I went home in his truck and he still didn’t say anything until we were halfway there. Finally he said, ‘I guess this won’t be the film we do together.’ I said, ‘I didn’t think so.’ Warner Bros. really wanted to make the film.
It would have been a blow toCity Heat’sbankability, but if Eastwood never understood the tone of the project, thenheis the one who should have left. Instead,Warners pushed for the film to move ahead, so Edwards was fired fromCity Heat, with Reynolds revealing “Blake’s dismissal hurt him badly. I don’t think he’s ever gotten over it.” Director Richard Benjamin (My Favorite Year) was soon hired to take over. The result was a film with too many ingredients and no real concept of how to merge them.
City Heat Forever Changed Burt Reynolds' Career
Reynolds was soon knocked out of the A-list thanks to City Heat
City Heat’sunderperformance didn’t really impact Eastwood’s career, but for Burt Reynolds, the film altered his career in several major ways.The biggest was an injury Reynolds received during filming, where a stuntman hit the actor in the jaw with a metal chairby mistake. This accident caused the actor chronic pain in the years that followed, and eating became so uncomfortable he largely stuck to liquids. This led to noticeable weight loss, which is visible in his follow-up projects like 1985’sStick.
All of Burt Reynolds' projects post-City Heatbombed, and by the end of the decade, the star’s time on the A-list was done.
His alarming drop in weight led then led to rumors that Reynolds was battling AIDS during this time.Despite still dealing with pain from his jaw, Reynolds pushed ahead and made movies like 1986’sHeat(which Jason Statham later remade asWild Card) orMalone, a modern riff onShane. These terse thrillers did little to help his career, withHeatespecially suffering a very difficult production that saw Reynolds punching co-director Dick Richards during filming and being successfully sued for assault.
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All of Reynolds' projects post-City Heatbombed, and by the end of the decade, the star’s time on the A-list was done. He still did some great work in his later years, but both professionally and personally,Reynolds' involvement inCity Heatcame at a great cost.
City Heat Wastes Its Biggest Asset
City Heat left the buddy part out of buddy comedy
The term buddy cop movie conjures mages of48 HrsorLethal Weapon, where two mismatched partners bicker back and forth while dodging bullets.City Heatfailed to get that memo because while Eastwood and Reynolds exchange quips throughout, they spend large chunks away from one anotherand the film suffers for it. Their characters are off on their own sidequests, bump into each other briefly, and then continue on their separate paths. It’s only in the third act that they start to work together properly - but by then, it’s too late.
City Heatshould have been a Burt/Clint double act and works best when they’re together. The way the film misunderstands what audiences wanted to see from their union speaks to the way it never finds the right rhythm. It may come back to Eastwood wanting plenty of scenes to himself - and playing to the tough guy persona his audience expected. Whatever the case,City Heatwasted its biggest draw, and while it’s not without its charms, there’s a reason audiences didn’t rush to it.
City Heat
Cast
City Heat, directed by Richard Benjamin, is set in 1933 Kansas City, where Clint Eastwood portrays a police lieutenant named Speer and Burt Reynolds plays private eye Mike Murphy. Former friends turned foes, they reunite to combat the mob after Murphy’s partner is murdered.
