Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie:

Editorial Review:
A by-the-numbers action flick featuring a stern Arnold Schwarzenegger, Raw Deal has all the traditional traits of the genre. Schwarzenegger is a disgraced former FBI agent who winds up as sheriff of a backwater Southern town. He is given a chance to reclaim his job when the head of the Bureau offers him reinstatement if he'll go undercover to capture the mob boss responsible for killing his son. Schwarzenegger must get close enough to gain the trust of the gangster without being discovered as a mole, while gathering enough evidence to take him down. One of Schwarzenegger's early films, in which he honed his persona, Raw Deal offers up the usual quotient of gun battles and tough talk, with a trace of self-deprecating humor from its star, making it reasonably worthwhile entertainment. --Robert Lane

Raw Deal [Region 2] Reviews:
Entertainingly dumb, daft but great fun
2008-09-22 - Arnie plays an undercover mob guy who needs to bring down some extreme scumbags while posing as one of them. It's a very silly film but good entertainment.
Recommended if you don't mind a completely lame plot.

So you wanna be a witness? Witness this.
2008-05-04 - Bad acting. Cheesy story. Awful special effects. Arnold. What more could you ask for? Great cheesy action, tons of great one liners, a must have for the real appreciator of fine cinema!

great classic schwarzenegger movie
2007-09-10 - it was one of Arnold's breakthrough performances outside of terminator. i love this movie, if your a fan of Arnold's you wont get disapointed.

Modest But Enjoyable Schwarzenegger Film
2007-04-02 - Raw Deal was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's first films in his successful eading man career. Therefore, one can forgive him for making this kind of film because it was so early in his career. People were still getting used to the idea of a heavily accented Austrian as the new action hero on the block. Therefore, almost anything he did would seem novel.

Arnold plays a former FBI agent who was accused of wrongdoing, and ends up leaving the bureau and becoming a small-town southern sheriff. His bureau mentor, played by Darren McGavin, comes to help asking him to work undercover to bring down Chicago's top mobster, who in the midst of a turf war with a Jewish gangster (played by Steven Hill of Law and Order fame). Thinking that this could restart his old career, Arnold agrees, and ends up in the middle of the turf war, trying not to be exposed and running afoul of the hood's chief lieutenant, played by Robert Davi.

This movie is not groundbreaking, but solid and entertaining in its own way. You will definitely get your share of action from Raw Deal and shouldn't feel cheated.


"Who do you think I look like? Dirty Harry?"
2007-03-12 - SPOILERS throughout.

No, RAW DEAL isn't one of the Governator's best flicks, not by a long shot. But it's not his worst either (ever cringe thru JINGLE ALL THE WAY, JUNIOR, or COLLATERAL DAMAGE?). Having been released on the heels of the high octane, vastly entertaining COMMANDO, RAW DEAL suffers from the inevitable comparison. This film does have quite a bit to offer Schwarzenegger fans, but, let's be real, it's not as good as COMMANDO. But is RAW DEAL worth watching? Definitely. Is it worth purchasing? I believe so. I bought it. But, then again, I'm an old fan of our muscled Austrian. Shucks, I even voted for him.

As early as 1986 - when RAW DEAL came out - at the beginnings of his Hollywood career as he was still developing what would become his trademark cinematic identity, Schwarzenegger was even then charismatic enough to turn many an action fan's head. That he had a certain flair for droll one-liners was an unlooked-for bonus. In fact, I believe that his wry sense of humor and the implied intelligence that went with that was the decider in making him the overwhelming box office action king over the likes of Stallone, Seagal, and Norris. And Arnold was savvy enought to capitalize on his advantage. He had a firm grasp of his talents and rarely stepped outside his purview. In his role of Sheriff Mark Kaminsky, Arnold is well within his limited acting range. RAW DEAL makes no pretense about what it is: a slam-bang action movie that directly traverses from Point A to Point B and is jam-packed with auto carnage, blazing bullets and thudding fists, all the while showcasing Mr. "I'll Be Back" (a catchphrase which I don't think he says in this film).

The plot: Mark Kaminsky (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is an ex-FBI agent now exiled into sheriffing in a small, nowhere town and saddled with an embittered wife. A promise of possible reinstatement from an old FBI colleague with a personal agenda convinces Kaminsky to infiltrate the Chicago crime syndicate and try to tear it apart from within; if possible, he's given the added task of unearthing the mole who's been selling out the FBI. Kaminsky stages his own death, slicks back his hair, and dons his double-breasted threads. In his attempt to get noticed by the mob, he makes a splashy showing at a mob gambling joint and, from there, rapidly works his way up the criminal hierarchy, occasionally tearing off chunks of mafia flesh.

Is there much violence in RAW DEAL? You bet your arse, there is. Nowadays, when our film action stars all seem to practice fancy martial arts, popping in an Arnold flick in a dvd player is a bit like time travelling to the primitive, old school ways of villain smiting. Arnold never was that limber nor did he ever somersault in the air and execute a graceful roundhouse kick to the head. His style is akin to a relentless runaway train as he uses his monumental strength and power to subdue his opponents via wrestling holds and throws and that gool ol' American standby: the punch to the face. And if he can't hit you or kick you, for sure he doesn't have any compunctions about shooting you up full of lead. And then, of course, he'll submit the coup de gras: a witty punchline at your expense. In RAW DEAL, he uses his "techniques" to traumatize villains in mall clothing stores, gambling casinos, gravel pits, and mafia headquarters, the last venue being where he really launches into Terminator mode. You see, in his own fashion, Arnold does have a certain implacable panache.

The acting? It's decent. Schwarzenegger is Schwarzenegger which means that Schwarzenegger isn't Anthony Hopkins. In terms of acting, Schwarzenegger isn't even Thelma Hopkins. But, here, he's ably upheld by his supporting cast, the most recognizable of whom are Darren McGavin, MURPHY BROWN's Joe Regalbuto, and the ever untrustworthy Robert Davi. Kathryn Harrold is so-so as the love interest (and, mind you, she's not the wife), actually shining for a moment in a restaurant scene with Arnold as she takes him to task for his lack of amorousness. And, yes, this movie drops one of my favorite Arnold wisecracks: As his unhappy, intoxicated wife heaves a cake at him, his character retorts: "You should not drink and bake." Classic. Another line overheard in passing which cracked me up: as Kaminsky and Davi's character were pursuing a man thru a crowded bar, an offended, bumped-into bystander comments with a "Hey, you cretin!" C'mon, who says that, really?