Raw Deal - Film Review

I've always been a hardcore fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger's films and have made it a point to check out as much of his filmography as I can. There's something about his cheesy action movie style that we simply don't get anymore in modern cinema that makes it really special. Amazon Video had recommended this one to me for some time and I was surprised I had never seen it (nor even heard of it), so I finally set some time aside to check it out. 

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Where You Can Find It: It's free to view for all Amazon Prime members.

General Information 
Raw Deal is an action movie that was released on 6 June 1986 in theaters and later on DVD on 20 June 2003. It was directed by John Irvin and distributed via De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. Despite earning $16.2 million at the box office (with a $10-11 million budget), the film was considered a disappointment and possibly contributed to the bankruptcy of the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, as this distribution company originally held the rights to Total Recall, so its bankruptcy freed that title up so that Schwarzenegger could make that wonderful film with Paul Verhoeven. The film holds a 44 Metascore on Metacritic and was generally considered below-average by critics during its release. I've only seen one other film by John Irvin, which was Hamburger Hill (it hit theaters one year after this), and it's pretty clear that Irvin's penchant for violence is part of his overall directorial style. Unfortunately, it's abundantly clear that Raw Deal lacks the depth that Hamburger Hill presented.

The Story

Mark Kaminski (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a small-town sheriff in the rural American Midwest who used to be an FBI agent. His old boss, Special Agent Harry Shannon (played by the legendary Darren McGavin), offers Kaminski an unofficial undercover assignment in return for reinstating him with the Bureau. Kaminski will have to travel to Chicago and take on the Patrovita Crime Family while also investigating the mob's mole within the Chicago Police Department.

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The mob is no match for Mark's impeccable undercover skills

I think we can all agree that most Schwarzenegger-led films don't exactly have the deepest or most complex plots. Despite that, a lot of his movies make up for that with a lot of action and plenty of Arnold's signature one-liners. This film certainly has that, but all of the connective tissue is so poorly presented that it sags the movie down to the point where not even Arnold can save it.

Right off the bat, the plot is incredibly generic, while the protagonists are incredibly boring. With the exception of Kaminski's rivalry with mafioso, Max Keller (played by Robert Davi), there's very little chemistry between any of the characters. A good action movie needs good antagonists. Commando had Bennett, Running Man had Killian, and Predator had well...the freaking Predator! This movie doesn't really have that, which means viewers really only get to see Arnold gunning down generic mobsters, which can be fun, but hardly fulfilling. The final showdown is only the second time Kaminski is even in the same room with Luigi Patrovita (the big boss played by Sam Wanamaker), and their relationship is essentially nonexistent.

My last major observation is the incredibly weird romance subplot between Kaminski and Monique (played by Kathryn Harrold). They flirt and kiss, but Kaminski is married (to a drunk baker) and sort of wants to keep his marriage (at least I think so?). Kaminski essentially acts like a sugar daddy to Monique, while the nature of the relationship is extremely unclear. It was all very confusing and made me think that John Irvin originally wanted a romance subplot but then decided against it and yet still decided to keep Monique in the film (of which she serves no real function). 

Special Effects/Atmosphere

Like other Schwarzenegger films of the time, this one makes full use of Arnold's monstrous strength in ways that make him seem super-human. Watching Arnold throw another human being across a room or take on a half-dozen goons never gets old, which makes this the crown jewel of this film. The shoot-out set pieces are incredibly violent and lengthy, which leads to plenty of situations where we can see Arnold wreak havoc on Chicago's inner-city. There's a lot of vehicles used in some of these set pieces, which are all wonderfully used. Arnold goes off-roading; drives a truck into a building; and performs a hilarious drive-by shooting at a gravel yard. 

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At least the shootouts are fun

Overall, the set design is decent, but unremarkable. There's your classic mafia gambling dens and nightclubs, but nothing really stands out with the exception of the gravel yard. The background music is also quite generic and instantly forgettable. I will admit that I appreciated the costume design quite a bit as everyone is almost always dressed very well, with Arnold's final showdown outfit looking pretty darn cool.

The Acting

Across the board, the performance in this film is mediocre at best. Arnold's charisma keeps his head above water, but everyone else kind of feels like they're phoning it in. After seeing License to Kill, I know Robert Davi can play a great villain, but he just comes off as a creep in this. Darren McGavin brings an air of sincerity and legitimacy that this movie doesn't deserve, but he's kept away from most of the plot after the initial opening. Everyone else is incredibly forgettable, which is a bit of a shame as I feel like action movies like this are when people should be going over the top. I was excited to see Paul Shenar in another movie, as I loved how intimidating he was in Scarface, but he just looked like he was waiting to get paid here.

The Best of the Best: Arnold driving around a gravel yard, gunning down mobsters from a convertible, while blaring the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction."

The Worst of the Worst: Kaminski being a sugar daddy to a middle-aged gambler for literally no reason.

Calhooey Score: 4/10 - below average

Would I Recommend?

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A swing and a miss...

If you love Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, this one can be fun, but it's hardly a good movie. If Arnold hadn't been in this, it would probably be an atrociously bad movie. Instead, it's just bland and slightly below average. If you want an Arnold movie that isn't as well-known, I highly recommend Running Man or Commando instead.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• You should not drink and bake.
• I'm not sure why Kaminski needed to fake his own death when he assumed someone else's identity. Better yet, I don't know why he felt the need to blow up an entire oil refinery in the process.
• That look of pure glee on Arnold's face as he bulldozed through the gambling den with that truck was priceless. I feel like he was the only one having fun in this.
• That shootout at the graveyard was hilarious. Kaminski couldn't recognize his old boss until he was within speaking distance. Time for some glasses, Mark.
• Speaking of that shootout, Robert Davi went out like a punk. What a missed opportunity...
• I really wish I could've been in the boardroom when the crippled Special Agent Shannon argued for Kaminski to be reinstated in the FBI after destroying multiple buildings in Chicago and killing over 50 people (including a prosecutor).

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

*Amazon. (n.d.). Raw Deal film cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Raw-Deal-Arnold-Schwarzenegger/dp/B07QVDVS9J.

**Giantmonster. (n.d.). Arnold undercover gif. Tumblr. Retrieved from: https://giantmonster.tumblr.com/post/160536077518.

***Reed. (2007, February 19). Kaminski shootout. Blogger. Retrieved from: fightingtheyouth.blogspot.com/2007/02/schwarzenegger-sunday-raw-deal.html.

****Gfycat. (n.d.). Shit cake gif. Retrieved from: https://gfycat.com/discover/raw-deal-gifs.