Red Heat (1988)

Despite being a bit late to the game as far as '80s buddy flicks go, Red Heat is a solid comedic actioner helmed by the man who started the trend with 48 Hrs., Walter Hill. As a duo, Belushi and Schwarzenegger don't quite set the screen on fire, but their banter is fun as Arnold is made to repeat ridiculous American phrases for laughs, while Belushi hoots and hollers about coffee the whole time. Slick with style, the film benefits from some tense shoot-out scenes as well as a deliciously nasty villain in Ed O'Ross (who would team up with Hill again in the dreadful Another 48 Hrs.). Best known for Arnold's naked fight in the snow, the film finds the action star flexing his pecks once more through another wooden Terminator-like performance -- obviously aided here by his wild fashion stylings which include monstrous shoulder pads and out-of-control spiky hair, along with man-cake and eyeliner to top it all off. Gina Gershon, Peter Boyle, and Laurence Fishbourne join in for the ride, but it's all about the headlining star's almost-chemistry as they guide the film from one taut action scene to another. Red Heat didn't exactly put the end-all-be-all nail in the buddy cop genre, but it is a satisfying entry that delivers the goods by its bus-demolishing end. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide