Raw Deal - A lesser-known hit for Arnie, but fun anyway

Throughout the eighties Arnold Schwarzenegger reigned supreme, but most people remember his films for Terminator, Predator and Commando. ‘Raw Deal’ often gets missed off the list of his movies.  It’s kind of understandable; when you compare it to the affore-mentioned classics, it does seem a little subdued.

Yes, Arnie breaks a lot of bad-guys’ bones along the way, as he goes from smalltown Sherriff to undercover gang syndicate member, but it never seems to have the required action that fans were synonymous with during this stage of his career.  You could almost call it a ‘thriller,’ only that would definitely be miss-selling it.  It’s more of a crime drama which has had action scenes added into it as a result of having Arnie fronting the bill and naturally wanting to play to his strengths.

People may criticise the ‘big man’ for his lack of acting talent.  I always thought he does what he does well and am normally quite happy with his performance.  However, he does seem to struggle a bit here and there during ‘Raw Deal,’ leaving some of his lines coming out as a bit awkward.  At least it does have a decent (if not as long as usual) action sequence near the end which is pretty fun where Arnie slays countless henchmen while driving round a gravel-pit listening to the Rolling Stones.

If you’re a fan of Arnie in general, you’ll probably enjoy Raw Deal.  Again, if you just like your crime/action films, you may also get something out of it.  However, if you’re just a casual fan of the genre/actor then it may come across as a bit forgettable, especially in the wake of Arnie’s other hits of the day.

Just don’t ask Arnie’s (on-screen) wife to bake you a cake.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that