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During my early teenage years, I got into an argument with an elderly DVD store attendee about who directed the movie Heat. I insisted that it was a Michael Mann picture. He insisted it was a William Goldman picture. We thus agreed to disagree, though, as I walked out, I could hear him whisper, "Kids know nothing about movies nowadays." It turned out we were both right. He wasn’t aware that there was a '90s movie with that particular title, while I didn't know about the '80s one.
The Goldman picture stars the legendary Burt Reynolds and is based on the director’s book of the same name. In 2015, it was remade into Wild Card, starring Jason Statham. Better yet, it was directed by Simon West, best known for Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and The Expendables 2. Is it better than the original? Mr. Mustache did a great job, as always, but I heavily fought the urge to sleep while watching the '80s flick (much later after the argument). I cannot say the same for the 2010s flick.
'Heat' and 'Wild Card' are the Same Meal, Cooked Differently
In both movies, we are introduced to Nick, a Las Vegas chaperone with superior fighting skills. When his female friend is assaulted by a mobster, the viewer immediately knows that it's an ipso facto attack on Nick himself, and it won't be long before he exacts revenge. This action lands him in a tangle and also helps amplify the theme of loyalty. Nick plans to move to Venice soon, and by doing that, all his problems will go away. Sadly, his gambling addiction eats at the money he could have used to relocate, leaving him with no way to escape from the mob. Now he has to watch himself. Every knock on his door doesn't bring a pizza delivery, but thugs seeking to roughly rearrange his face.
I understand that Heat was kinda popular in 1986, which doesn't come as a surprise. The '80s were years when the idea of a movie star held weight, and Americans were very fond of their monstres sacrés. In Burt Reynolds, we had a man worthy of fame, a macho genius with a blazing talent and extreme passion for the big screen. He played antiheroes with a vagrant vein of decency, and heroes with a few flaws. But that's all there is. The movie would be a lot weaker without Reynolds.
The remake depends not only on its casting – though those mottled faces of the hoodlums certainly help – but on dialogue. The scurrilous manner of speech enlivens what might otherwise have been a dry action thriller, so that Wild Card is not only one of Jason Statham's most addictive movies, but also one of the most thought-provoking. Besides that, the reboot is far from judgmental and opts for a detached view of Nick’s gambling addiction.
Most importantly, the action is better. Heat relies on dated '80s gimmicks such as Kung Fu-style quick zooms, excessive slow-motion, and a noticeable stunt double for Burt Reynolds. In Wild Card, famous Hong Kong action director Corey Yuen (who worked with Statham in The Transporter and The Expendables) infuses his trademark rapid-fire fisticuffs and wide-framing style. You'll love the creativity with weaponry, especially the scene where Nick uses garden shears.
'Heat' Has a Juicier BTS Story
While Wild Card is clearly the better movie, Heat had more… well… heat. Apparently, punches were thrown both at the fictional bad guys and the real-life good guys. The Los Angeles Times reveals that Burt Reynolds was sued for $25 million by director Dick Richards for knocking him unconscious on the Las Vegas set of a movie. The two eventually reached an out-of-court settlement.
Reynolds himself didn't seem to care much about the movie. He did so to win more approval from critics. "I don't think Heat and Malone are the movies that are going to change my career," he said at the time. "At least they are serious films which people have told me I should have been doing for years. I don't know how good they are, but at least I’m taking the advice now of close friends and doing films that take me out of a car."
Statham, on the other hand, was very passionate about Wild Card and lobbied hard to get it made. According to Live for Films, the actor developed the project himself "maybe over five years" and even had Brian De Palma attached at some point. The Scarface director would have been perfect, but Simon West did just fine. "He showed it to me after TheExpendables 2, and I got into it, because of the writing really," said West.
Glad this didn't get stuck in development hell for too long.
