Dead Heat

"You can't keep a good cop dead."

1988 1h 26m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

11%

ROTTEN

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 247🥫11%Rotten Tomatoes★6.1IMDB · 9,482

HorrorScience FictionActionThrillerComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Detective Roger Mortis is killed in action while investigating a string of mysterious robberies: until he's brought back from the dead with a chemical company's secret re-animation technology. Now he has twelve hours to solve the case of his own death before he dies: And stays dead.

“You can't keep a good cop dead.”

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Cast

Treat Williams
Det. Roger Mortis
Joe Piscopo
Det. Doug Bigelow
Lindsay Frost
Randi James
Darren McGavin
Dr. Ernest McNab
Vincent Price
Arthur P. Loudermilk
Robert Picardo
Lt. Herzog
Martha Quinn
Newscaster
Keye Luke
Mr. Thule

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Goldblatt
Writers: Terry Black
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 72% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Mark Goldblatt, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ernest Troost. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Harvey Rosenstock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo and Lindsay Frost carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You can't keep a good cop dead.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Goldblatt directs. Robert D. Yeoman behind the camera. Ernest Troost scores. Harvey Rosenstock cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 72% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
338 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Mark Goldblatt, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ernest Troost. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Harvey Rosenstock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo and Lindsay Frost carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "You can't keep a good cop dead.".
9IMDB entry: tt0094961 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert D. Yeoman
Original score: Ernest Troost
Editing: Harvey Rosenstock
Production design: Craig Stearns
Costume design: Lisa Jensen
Makeup / hair: Carlos David Amador
Stunt coordinator: Dan Bradley
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $3,588,626
Return: 72% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Dead Heat (1988)
Rotten Tomatoes: 11% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 9,482 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 nomination

Also by

Mark Goldblatt

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522022-01-29
★ 7/10
A bit goofy for sure but a fun horror-comedy, in the vein of Evil Dead 2. The performances from both Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo were fun. Think this is one with some good replay value. 3.5/5
Finetunes2022-02-11
★ 3/10
I love 80's movies but this one would be worth passing on except there is one horror make up scene (Randi dying)that might be worth the view. The dialog is clunky and the acting is pretty poor and that includes Treat Williams, who I normally like, but you can tell he was going through the motions on this one. Personally, I never cared for Joe Piscopo in any movie. But if you enjoy an 80's movie with it's vibe - the music, the fashions, the hair styles and add to it a retro red 1960's Chevy convertible then dive right in.