Watch L.A. Heat For Free

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

I saw this movie on one of the cable channels today...don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of 80's culture and movies. But this was absolutely the most horrid, cheesy, poorly acted, disgrace of a film I have ever witnessed. As I watched it, I felt myself cringing at almost every aspect of the film.Every actor looked as though they had no experience. The sets were cheesy. The music was awful.If I could have rated it a "0", I would have. Just terrible.There is a reason that you have seen almost no one from this film in anything of consequence...it is because having taken part in it probably stained their career forever. If you are ever bored and find yourself entered in a "Find the worst film ever made" contest, do yourself a favor and check this one out. You will not be disappointed in its failures.

Wow! Where to start with this baby! I can honestly say that this is the lowest quality film I have EVER seen. It's so hideously cheap and blatantly filmed the day before it's due in. Time after time we hear the director saying 'cut' or even making the odd disparaging remark! Of course, the acting in a film of this type is truly atrocious. There's more acting talent on display in the intestines of a camel than in this 'movie'. Yet despite all this, I love LA Heat. It's incredibly funny to spot the constant goofs and revel in the dire performances. The basic plot, if there is one, concerns a cop who loses his partner (new story eh!) and then goes on the rampage (sort of) to get the killer. Along the way we meet various pathetic losers, none of whom have any screen presence. What I love most about this film is that when people get shot, they stand there waiting for ages to receive their date with death. It's ridiculous. In one scene a man is shot, but the guy next to him just keeps on playing pinball, compliantly waiting to be killed as well! The music is also sub-par and oozes cheese. Fans of Shotgun may well like this one. It's even lower quality and isn't as funny, but it's still worth a go. I got my copy for 75 pence! Go get yours and let the laughter commence.

There are so many classic cinematic moments in LA Heat, too many to choose from (SPOILERS AHEAD!!!). For instance the titanic chase scene; a scene, it seems, that was too big even for Hollywood (that could explain why they run round the same block three times, passing the clearly signposted shops as they go, lets just say a certain restaurant got a LOT of free publicity THAT day!). Another great thing about this movie is how it was shot in a way which negated the need for a director's commentary afterwards, genius! The director's voice is clearly audible during a lot of the actual film, giving direction to the cast, or simply passing judgement on their sterling work on set. Who needs DVDs now?! And of course, hats off to the editor for the movie, who felt it necessary to leave in all the said director's requests of the cast as well as sometimes, just having the characters repeat the same line twice in "voice over" format, just to give a scene that certain edge. The "home video" scenes too were stunning. By this i mean the scenes where, to give the film a gritty, real LA feel, they haven't just gone on location, oh no, they've gone on location on an open street, full of onlookers who take every opportunity they get to wave at the cameras. This 'fly-on-the wall' style of film making was something relatively new at the time of shooting, making LA Heat a real rule breaker and trend setter in cinema history.In conclusion, I would recommend this film to anyone lucky enough to get the opportunity to see it. Viewing it has had a deep impact on my life, changing my whole outlook on the world. Thank you to everyone involved in its production. If i'm one day lucky enough to be blessed with children and I have a boy and a girl, I'll name them Jon and Chance.

I'm sure all of you remember Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, right? Yes, he was the man who made a name for himself starring as Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington in the TV hit sitcom, "Welcome Back, Kotter" back in the 1970s. Recently, LHJ has just attempted to make a name for himself in the B-movie market as evident in such works as L.A. VICE (1989), QUIETFIRE (1991, his best film to date), and the original L.A. HEAT...In the city of Los Angeles, California, no one is to be trusted. No one really knows who are the true good guys and bad guys. Detective Jon Chance (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) on the other hand, always dreamt of being a cowboy hero, living by the "code of the West." He always pictured himself as an exemplary hero who always felt that the use of guns was not a necessity. However, Chance needs to stop dreaming. He must return back to reality!Chance's assignment (and he has no choice but to accept it) is to capture this mean faced drug dealer called Clarence (Kevin Benton). This assignment has escalated into a personal vendetta for this vice detective when Chance's partner, Carl (Vince Inneo) is murdered by this nefarious drug dealer during a routine drug bust. The predicament gets even worse when, during a second undercover stakeout, several more cops are fatally shot. A drug war ensues between Clarence, who is trying to retrieve his drugs and money, and the police, who are out to avenge the loss of their men...An authoritative police Captain (Jim Brown) enters the scene, disappointed at the lack of results Chance is able to materialize. Jon Chance is down-on-his-luck. The Captain gives Chance 72 more hours to apprehend Clarence or else...it's his badge and dignity that are on the line...To complicate the situation even more, Chance must deal with a small-time drug dealer named Spyder (Myles Thoroughgood). Spyder requests to Chance that he must exterminate a pitiless mob boss named Sylvio (Robert Gallo). In exchange for this favor, Spyder may or may not be able to help Chance find Clarence. Chance is obsessed with arresting Clarence, but in these modern times, every step could be his last. He must remember not to make any rash moves. Meanwhile, Chance also learns that the boys with badges may be the ones behind this conspiracy...Chance declares a one-man war against corruption in the streets...and in the police department.L.A. HEAT is possibly the first PM Entertainment movie to include "name" actors such as Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Jim Brown. This movie also makes use of the seedy locations of Los Angeles. Quite frankly though, this low budget thriller has many problems. This movie starts off extremely well, but for reasons unknown, this movie starts meandering a bit too much. For one, the characters spend too much time just standing around and being idle. They also enjoy arguing and grousing towards each other too. While some of the dialogue is needed to advance the movie's plot, much of the inane one-liners and irrelevant conversations could be deleted just for the sake of picking up this movie's arduously slow pace.Though this movie moves at a gratuitously sluggish pace, what L.A. HEAT lacks in energy, it compensates that fault with a raw sense of humor. Some of the welcome dialogue is intentionally funny, especially in the beginning when Chance converses with his partner. It's also funny to hear these people, both cops and criminals, curse at each other's throats.Believe it or not, the script does allow for character development. The dream sequence in the beginning is effective, providing an insight about Chance's character. Kevin Benton's high-spirited performance as a lady-loving drug dealer with an animadversion towards cops gives this film some texture. Pat Johnson contributes adequate work as Chance's love interest and Myles Thoroughgood is good as a deceptive delinquent.It's hard to believe that this movie was directed by the legendary Joseph Merhi, the same guy who hailed masterful pieces of art such as RAGE (1995), and LAST MAN STANDING (1996). L.A. HEAT is enjoyable, considering the lack of action, but it's low budget places this film at a major disadvantage. This film needs more action. Otherwise, it would have been much more acceptable as a superficial time-killer. Then again...could the PM guys just please get rid of that annoying high-pitched voice which sang that disruptive theme song!Think you can handle the heat...the L.A. HEAT? Well, L.A. HEAT is worth watching only once. Then stash this film away where you will never again be reminded of the burden and boredom you have suffered through watching this movie. This movie is exploitative junk aimed for the crowd who likes these type of films. This movie though is a well-meaning effort from Joseph Merhi, but it is just too mundane for my tastes. It is followed by a not-so-needed sequel, L.A. VICE (which had better action, but weaker performances). This sequel was made within a year. Go figure.Now, back to Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. Will LHJ become a household name after starring in a few B-movies? Probably not, but he will be back. (As a matter of fact, LHJ fans, this actor is lucky enough to have appeared in Mya's recent video, "My First Night With You." Believe your eyes when you see LHJ featured there as Mya's father.)RATING: ** out of **** (For effort.)