Heat -5 stars out of 5 stars

Running a just right 101 minutes this 1986 release is forgotten and hard to find because of 2 others films with similar names.One of which Burt is also in oddly enough. With Clint Eastwood called "City Heat" and a later Michael Mann film called "Heat"with DiNero and Pacino.Both of which I have seen and will not review here as they were not nearly as good as this one. I cannot find a trailer for this film.

Still,trust me,look for this film.Why??I know Burt made a living on playing tough guys but this film really works.Burt plays     Mex who now is a private eye,bodyguard or what ever you need to make a legit buck.
The film opens with Mex in a bar hitting on a woman waiting for her boyfriend.He is really menacing and when the guy comes in its obvious Mex can kick his butt and take the girl against her will.But the guy beats Mex,hard to believe but we soon find out that was just a job for Mex.The guy was trying to  talk the girl into leaving town with him and they were both going to start a new life,only he need to prove his worth so to speak so he hired Mex to beat up for 200 dollars to impress her.You gotta love it !!!
Mex is bothered with headaches and is a degenerate gambler who has a checkered past with some sort of mob ties.All he wants is enough money to go to Venice Italy to retire.
Without telling the whole story but after a  few scenes lets just say he wins 100k at blackjack then bets it all double or nothing and of course loses.Having had a gambling problem myself,I must say I have  never seen it shown as raw as this film shows it.That however gets him a new job as bodyguard for Cyrus Kinnick  played by Peter MacNicol,who is a newly rich software geek who is trying to live "the life"but is scared by everything and everyone.Mex is who he thinks he wants to be and a strange bonding grows between them.Really well done including a funny fight scene where Mex is teaching Cyrus how to "slip"a punch but Cyrus bloodies Mexs nose.
Now Mex knew a call girl  named Holly played by Karen Young,like a big brother protector, who was roughed up by some young punk mob guys.This is where the film gets rough.For you Jet football fans,old Hall of Fame player Joe Klecko has a small part as one of the Mob thugs.Anyway,Mex just helps Holly get even although she wanted to kill them.Still the punk leader wants to kill Mex now.He goes to Mexs office but only seriously wounds poor Cyrus.Mex will now take care of business in a way that I've never seen done better in any film,anytime,anywhere.Neill Barry plays Danny DeMarco believably as the punk who gets what he deserves in a way quite satisfying. For that info you must see it for yourself.