Schwarzenegger's 'Raw Deal': Is it supposed to be this funny?
Okay, so I finally got around to watching 'Raw Deal' (1986) with Ah-nuld. And I gotta say, I'm... confused. The plot itself is fairly straightforward: Arnie gets a chance to get back in the FBI by going undercover to take down some mobsters. But the execution? Whew. It's like they couldn't decide whether to be a gritty crime drama or a full-blown parody. Like, the scene where he rigs the car to explode? Hilarious! And his one-liners are so bad they're amazing. But then you have moments that are really trying for serious and impactful, especially with Harry Shannon's grief over his son. It just...doesn't quite mesh. It's like two different movies fighting for screen time. I'm starting to wonder if maybe some of the humor was intentional? Like, maybe they knew how ridiculous some of the plot points were and just leaned into it. My theory is that the director (John Irvin, I looked it up) was maybe going for a hybrid thing—a kind of heightened reality action flick. And maybe it just didn't quite land the way he intended? Or maybe I'm just overthinking it! What do you guys think? Was 'Raw Deal' always meant to be this...campy? Or is it just a product of its time that aged in weird but fun ways?
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