Dead Heat (2001)

Dead Heat

I have not laughed so much in years as when I watched this film. Kiefer Sutherland is excellent at comedy. His timing and expressions are perfect and he has a great partner in Anthony Lapaglia. If you are expecting an edge of your seat thriller as it mistakenly says on the DVD of I Fought the Law ( the alternative name of the film) then you will be disappointed. If you just want to sit back, relax and have a good laugh then this is certainly for you. It is lovely to see a different side to Kiefer Sutherland and such a relief if you are a 24 fan and worry about Jack's depressing life rubbing off on him. I have never regretted buying it, it has taken its place as one of my favourite films. February 10, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland! Anthony LaPaglia! The Mafia! Horses!

Thanks to network TV,Anthony LaPaglia and Kiefer Sutherland are well-known for their leading roles in "Without a Trace" and "24." However, this movie wasn't a smashing success for the both of them...due to its plotlessness.

Sutherland stars as a former Boston cop who doesn't get to do much other than drink&cry a lot. LaPaglia stars as his scheming,not too bright half-brother,complete with a soul patch&bleached hair.They're convincing as brothers,but the script hobbles them. There's a plot involving horses and the Mafia,as well as a jockey's annoying,creepy daughter,who seems to be one of the Children of the Corn,or Damien's lil' sis.

Radha Mitchell stars as Sutherland's perpetually confused ex,and reason for a gratutious,un-erotic love scene (but the violinists do get to play passionately.The orchestra swells in anticipation for...an anti-climax)

"Dead Heat" is a dead movie,despite two strong leading actors,the Mafia,and horses. July 16, 2007

Light entertainment

This is a feel-good, light-hearted movie. Don't read more into it than that. A hapless hero (Kiefer Sutherland) who hits roadblocks at every turn and triumphs anyway.
An amusing cast of characters in a movie for when you just want to sit back and be entertained - which it definitely does - and not have to think so hard. June 15, 2007

Unmemorable Except for the Leading Actors' Good Acting

Kiefer Sutherland stars in `Dead Heat' a crime drama in which the star of hit TV series `24' can show more tender side of the character than he is often associated with. He plays Pally, 35-year-old Boston cop who is forced to retire because of the heart problem, and his acting is very good. Overall, however, there is not much that I can recommend in `Dead Heat' except some nice touch in showing the characters. The film tries to include as many things as possible, but few of them really materialize.

The story looks rather like a familiar one. Because of his early retirement, Pally starts to drink, and even thinks of committing suicide. His relationship with his estranged wife Charlotte (Rhada Mitchell) is not going well and he is not happy to know that she is now going out with someone else.

But Charlotte is also nice and caring, so she persuades Pally's brother Ray (Anthony LaPaglia) to visit him. Ray, who is accused of not being a law-abiding citizen by his too earnest brother, has a good plan to make money easily, and offers it to Pally. It is about buying a racehorse cheap, he says, and it is an easy job because he happens to know that the horse, which has not win any races recently, is actually misdiagnosed, only suffering from a polyp a small operation can remove.

When everything is going well, things get suddenly complicated because of a gambling-addicted jockey Tony (Lothaire Bluteau). From here, the story snowballs into blackmail, caper and even murder, but the film's overall tone is always light, not taking itself very seriously.

Unfortunately, for all their effective acting from Sutherland, LaPaglia, Mitchell, and Bluteau, the weak and unsure direction totally fails to give momentum to the otherwise unremarkable film. It is not funny when it tries to make us funny, and it is not romantic when it tries to be romantic. Feeble direction simply misses several good opportunities to make good use of the jockey's sullen little daughter Sam (Kay Panabaker, her feature debut), who could have been a little surprise (or gem) in this unconvincing plot.

It is true that Kiefer Sutherland shows in `Dead Heat' another side of acting talent, which is less eccentric and intense than most of the roles he had played, or he would play. That is good news, and the only good news here. October 16, 2006

Kiefer is Charming and Adorable

Very rarely does Kiefer Sutherland show his comedic talent, which he has in abundance, and this is one of the finest examples of it that I've encountered. The scene of him slowly beating his forehead against the table and moaning in frustration as his step-brother blows away all his objections is worth its weight in gold. Yeah, it's a hokey and cheaply made film, but it's warm and funny, and it keeps your interest going. And better yet, he's a good guy, a regular joe. August 13, 2004

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