Red Heat

by Robert Tine

MOSCOW RED MEETS CHICAGO BLUE

Ivan Danko. In the Russian Militia, he's considered a legend... a man who always gets the job done.

Art Ridzik. In the Chicago Police Force, he's considered a screw-up... with street-smarts and a big mouth.

They're a perfect team... hot on the trail of a vicious Soviet killer at large in the Windy City.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on one of my favorite movies, when I saw recently that this was available, I took the plunge. I enjoyed reading it, many familiar scenes, some scenes extended here and one that didin't make it into the movie, all based in the city I grew up in. The bus chase mentions some streets by name that are familiar but I found were a bit of a stretch for the chase to take place on, in the order listed. Other than that, a good read.

[DeeJay Trump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous!
**** 4 Stars.

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes its a cheesy, action packed Arnold movie novelisation. Russian decorated muscle bound cop Danko kills drug dealers brother and ends up in Chicago to take the drug dealer back to Russian. Meet shitfight Chicago cop Ridzik a comedic fuckup of a cop and through various circumstances will need to band together to hunt down and ultimately destroy a major drug deal. Great one liners that one would expect are delivered perfectly. East meets west.

[Antonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS NOVEL HAS PLENTY OF HUMOR AND ACTION, JUST LIKE THE MOVIE. GREAT ADAPTATION WITH A FEW CHANGES. MIRANDA RULES! YEAH, RIGHT!

[Zack Clopton · Rating 3 out of 5]

So why did I read a novelization of the 1988 buddy cop movie "Red Heat," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Walter Hill? Well, I'm a fan of Hill and an even bigger fan of Arnold but it's not like "Red Heat" is the most memorable film from either man. It's a fairly mediocre flick, with a slightly convoluted plot, more racist and sexist undertones than even your typical eighties action flick, and co-stars Jim Belushi. (This was during that bizarre period in time when Hollywood thought Jim Belushi, of all people, could be an action star.) It's not like I really needed to see the world of "Red Heat" expanded upon over the course of 217 pages.

The truth is: I spotted the paperback at a convention a year or so ago and thought it would make a cool display piece. I mean, the cover is pretty neat and way cooler than the fairly uninspired theatrical poster.

So, anyway, after actually reading the book, I'll say this: I enjoyed Robert Tine's novelization slightly more than I did the actual film. Tine's prose is plain and takes some slightly odd turns but keeps the reader glued to the page. He has fun exploring the minds of the movie's characters a little more, giving us some insight into Arnold and Belushi's protagonists. The action scenes move quickly enough and there's plenty of humor, much of it surely taken from the original screenplay. Tine doesn't skip the racism or sexism - the villain's henchmen are still black gang members, Belushi's cop still comments on every woman's ass - but he managed to turn this story into something slightly more funny then what Hill's movie did.

(Tine, as far as I can tell, seemingly made a career out of adapting eighties/nineties action flicks for the page. His other hits include the book versions of Last Action Hero, Demolition Man, Assassins, Eraser, Hard Target, Universal Soldier, and the first two Beethoven movies. The man clearly knew his niche.)

In short, I still don't know why I read it but I mostly enjoyed it. What the hell, three stars.