Raw Deal (DVD)

An early Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, 'Raw Deal' sees Arnie play as a local town sheriff who finds himself going up against the local Mafia, but the plot and narrative are very badly handled, with the story being difficult to follow despite not being particularly sophisticated. Elsewhere a romantic subplot between Schwarzenegger and a woman by the name of Monique (Kathryn Harrold), who works for a mafia liutenant feels stilted and artificial. For much of its runtime 'Raw Deal' feels dull, convoluted and uninspired, both because of story and direction issues and because Arnie has not yet mastered his now familiar acting approach, but the film does redeem ...  Read the complete review

...need I say more? Raw Deal is one of Arnold Schwarzenneger's early offerings and there is really very little originality about it at all. The plot goes something like this: The local mafia organization are doing away with anyone who stands in their way on the witness stand. The police have their hands tied because there is no way that they can convict without witnesses and therefore they enlist the help of Arnie, who is to infiltrate the gang and take them down from the inside out. What then ensues is a series of bloody incidents where Arnie takes on a seemingly neverending amount of gansters singlehandedly - with predictable results. ...  Read the complete review