Dead Heat (2002 film)

Dead Heat is a 2002 crime comedy-drama film starring Kiefer Sutherland, Anthony LaPaglia and Radha Mitchell. It was written and directed by Mark Malone.

Dead Heat
Dead Heat poster
Directed byMark Malone
Produced byCharles Martin Smith
Michael Paseornek
Written byMark Malone
StarringKiefer Sutherland
Anthony LaPaglia
Radha Mitchell
Lothaire Bluteau
Music byPatric Caird
CinematographyRoss W. Clarkson
Edited byAlison Grace
Production
company
Distributed byBoulevard Entertainment
Release date
  • July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23) (DVD)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryCanada
Germany

Plot

Situated in Boston, Albert Paul 'Pally' LaMarr (Kiefer Sutherland) plays the role of a 35 year old police officer who has recently suffered a heart attack while facing a bandit, forcing him into retirement. The loss of his career created a void that drove him into depression and left him contemplating suicide. His wife, Charlotte LaMarr (Radha Mitchell) calls Pally's half-brother Ray LaMarr (Anthony LaPaglia) to come and visit him with the intention of bringing his spirits up. Ray is a small time crook and he convinces Pally to finance a long-shot race horse. Unknowingly, Pally becomes in over his head as Ray's new found jockey Tony LaRoche (Lothaire Bluteau) is a gambling addict who is in debt with a Mob kingpin Frank Finnegan (Daniel Benzali). Ray and Pally become guilty by association and Tony's debt is now theirs. Pally finds himself mired in murder, mobsters and misfired romance.[1] The stakes of their new horse panning out just increase substantially.

Cast

Production

The film used locations in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. It was Sutherland's last production before his TV show, 24.

Awards and nominations

The film received two nominations in the DVD Exclusive Awards in 2003, one for Best Cinematography and for Kiefer Sutherland for Best Actor.[2]

Critical Review

Upon reading and interpreting over a dozen reviews on IMDB[3] done by various people and amateur movie critics the most attractive part of this movie to its viewers was Kiefer Sutherland's performance. They often emphasized that Sutherland and Anthony LaPaglia had great chemistry and made the rather underwhelming plot more enjoyable. For the most part the more people watched, the more they enjoyed. Emphasizing on multiple occasions that although it does not have blockbuster potential due to its lack of budget, but it is a good watch if you enjoy solid acting and a mix of Drama and Comedy. Other reviewers were not so keen on the movie, most of the negative reviews were due to their hatred of the plot and how unorganized it was. The general consensus was that if you go into viewing the movie with medium expectations, it won't win any awards but you can get a good mix of different cinematic values.

The Director

Mark Malone is a producer and writer, known for The Last Ship (2014), Dead Heat (2002) and The Truth About Miranda (2004).

Where to View

Dead Heat can be viewed on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX6SzWIwmKQ for a price of CA $2.99[4]

References
  1. McClain, Buzz (17 June 2002). "Dead Heat". Video Business. Radnor. 22 (24): 18. ProQuest 223912822.
  2. Awards for Dead Heat at IMDb
  3. Dead Heat (2002), retrieved 2018-04-02
  4. LionsgateVOD (2013-11-06), Dead Heat, retrieved 2018-04-02
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