BAD MOVIE REVIEW: Dead Heat (1988)

Lethal Weapon...of the Living Dead.  That is really the only way I can think of to describe Dead Heat.  I rate this movie solely on entertainment value.  This movie would never win an award (or prestige anyway) nor would you even be able to find it anywhere.  I was fortunate to get my hands on a dvd copy but from the looks of it, its a very well done bootleg copy...which is fine by me.

So a low down on what exactly is going on.  Dead Heat is a buddy cop zombie comedy about 2 cops out workin the beat when they are called into a shooting match at a botched jewelry heist.  The problem...the perps have been shot numerous times and refuse to go down.  After some fancy moves and a glorious car crash they finally stop them and then the fun begins.  From there the movie turns into a mystery as they try to hunt down why the recent crime wave has been because of zombies and then what they are going to do about it.  Eventually both cops die but are brought back to life and then they only have 12 hours to figure out what happened to them and who's behind it before they turn to organic mush.

The thing I love most about this movie is the case.  Treat Williams...YES! This man is awesome.  I've been a fan since I was younger and first watched Deep Rising.  From there I've enjoyed everything I've seen him in.  Joe Piscopo...YES!  This guy I'm semi-familiar with but he's mostly the wise ass, one-line spewing, bad ass mofo.  Robert Picardo...YES!  Easily the greatest character in all of the Star Trek universe (The Doctor) but here he has a small role as a lieutenant in the opening scene.  and finally Vincent Price...BIG YES!!  I was shocked to see him.  Well I guess I wasn't shocked to see him in a horror movie, but it sure was a pleasure to see him on screen in the midgst of all the craziness.

Clocking in at around 1:15, this movie does a lot in a short time.  I guess I wouldn't want it to be any longer since I'm sure the jokes would wear off and the story would fall apart.  It's perfect the way it is.  The one-liners are cliche but hilarious, the effects are actually quite good, and the story is both original and highly entertaining.  If you get a chance to see this, I would recommend it.