This fairly standard-issue exercise in muscles, guns, and explosions isn't completely lacking in charm. Star-on-the-rise Arnold Schwarzenegger has fun wrapping his thick accent around the copious puns and tongue-in-cheek dialogue that populate Saturday Night Fever screenwriter Norman Wexler's script. The best line comes early, when a long-suffering Arnie advises his alcoholic wife: "You should not drink and bake." Alas, the food fight that precedes this moment of wit soon gives way to spurious plot twists and generic femme-fatale poses from Kathryn Harrold, a quality actress who's clearly out of her element. Elsewhere, despite some decent set pieces, the film never really generates much of an impression either way. However, a few plot holes and moments of gratuitous sentimentality toward the end help tip the scales toward a thumbs down. Schwarzenegger historians consider this to be one of the action dinosaur's least wooden performances, but it's also one of his most disposable, least distinctive vehicles.
Raw Deal (1986)
Directed by John Irvin
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