Dead Heat

R

Released May 6, 1988

1 hr. 28 min.

Horror

Action

Comedy

List

11%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When a dutiful Los Angeles police officer named Roger Mortis (Treat Williams) tries to apprehend robbers that happen to be zombies, he ends up as one of the undead himself. Since Mortis has managed to stay in his right mind, he aids his loudmouthed partner, Doug Bigelow (Joe Piscopo), in getting to the bottom of the macabre crime ring. Eventually the cops track down the villains, including Arthur P. Loudermilk (Vincent Price), and try to end their supernatural thievery.

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Rich R

How did I never see this movie when I was a kid? It's bad, but certainly something I would've watched from the video store some weekend. I probably got it confused with some other dumb buddy cop movie. Anyway… this is very 80s but not as bad as I remember Piscapo being. A silly zombie comedy with 80s "police can shoot anyone with impunity" of the era. More than anything, I can't believe I never saw this, ha.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/23/23

Full Review

Chris P

This was a fun movie and one of my favorite Treat Williams films. And it's got Joe Piscopo!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/14/23

Full Review

steve d

It is just plain silly.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

It's an awesome conception, that is perfectly suited for this kind of Horror/Comedy, the only issue is Williams and Piscapo feel like they're on autopilot. They're not bad, but they're not really selling the jokes as hard as they should be. The awesome effects also feel a little misplaced. Like they are far too graphic for a silly comedy. Still, I have lots of fun with this myself.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Detective Bigelow and Detective Mortis work side-by-side as buddy cops in the LAPD. Can you guess which one is marked for death? Featuring two leads that somehow both look like the human version of Shrek, Dead Heat has an appropriately silly premise and a brisk pace, but is largely done in by a lack of chemistry between the two protagonists and some hit-or-miss dialogue. At first its just mildly excessively buddy cop stylings cruise by without much distinction, but even the impressive effects and a late spiral into beautiful excessiveness are a bit deflated by periodic shifts into noir investigations that the plot never sells. Still, the film is worth a watch for the segments where it decides to go 100% '80s goofy/self-aware, with all the one-liners and bullet sponge segments that you could ask for. Even though it's got some glaring problems, the film understands that it is not a serious piece of art and largely delivers on what was likely pitched in a coke-fueled writer's room as "zombie cops". (2.5/5)

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/23/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Dead Heat is part Lethal Weapon, part Re-Animator and part Evil Dead but is really fun to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/10/22

Full Review

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Mark Goldblatt

Director

Treat Williams

Det. Roger Mortis

Joe Piscopo

Det. Doug Bigelow

Lindsay Frost

Randi James

W. Lyle Richardson

Dr. Ernest McNab

Vincent Price

Arthur P. Loudermilk

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

On the screen, it seems to be like a walking corpse itself: jerking around malevolently, with putrefying limbs, a fixed, grisly smile on its face and absolutely no spontaneity.

Rated: 1.5/5

May 13, 2013

Full Review

Johanna Steinmetz

Chicago Tribune

Williams and Piscopo seem to be on autopilot when delivering their lines, not relating to one another, not picking up each other`s timing.

Rated: 1/4

May 13, 2013

Full Review

Walter Goodman

New York Times

[A] sci-fi, low-tech comedy horror show.

May 21, 2003

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...succeeds solely as a showcase for some admittedly jaw-dropping special effects.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 14, 2015

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

That it is awkwardly conceived, the premise is absurd and it's just not funny, are its major flaws.

Rated: C+

Apr 12, 2015

Full Review

TV Guide

A disastrous attempt at blending comedy and horror.

Rated: 1/4

May 13, 2013

Full Review

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Synopsis

When a dutiful Los Angeles police officer named Roger Mortis (Treat Williams) tries to apprehend robbers that happen to be zombies, he ends up as one of the undead himself. Since Mortis has managed to stay in his right mind, he aids his loudmouthed partner, Doug Bigelow (Joe Piscopo), in getting to the bottom of the macabre crime ring. Eventually the cops track down the villains, including Arthur P. Loudermilk (Vincent Price), and try to end their supernatural thievery.

Director: Mark Goldblatt
Screenwriter: Terry Black
Production Co: New World Pictures, Helpern / Meltzer
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Action, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 6, 1988, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.9M
Sound Mix: Surround

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