Film

Raw Deal

Name: Raw Deal
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1986
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathryn Harrold, Sam Wanamaker, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi

Other titles called Raw Deal: the 1948 film.

A mid-80s action thriller where Schwarzenegger goes undercover in the mob to avenge an FBI chief's dead son. It's a straightforward revenge plot with muscular set-pieces, no pretensions, and the kind of gleeful violence that defined Arnold's peak. For viewers who want exactly what they came for: shoot-outs, one-liners, and a star at his most charismatic.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love lean, old-school crime thrillers built on a grudge, a disguise and a lot of gunfire, where the pleasure is in the machinery of a plan going sideways and the hero's sheer physicality.

Skip it if you want a tight, modern action pace; this one takes its time setting up the undercover premise, and its dialogue and plotting show their 1980s age more than you might like.

What it asks of you: About an hour and three-quarters of patient, workmanlike storytelling, with the action arriving in bursts rather than nonstop, and a tone that stays grim and hard-edged throughout.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Commando1985

Schwarzenegger on a one-man mission to rescue his kidnapped daughter, with the same propulsive energy and absurd practical stunts. John Matrix is pure Reagan-era action fantasy, and it's irresistible.

But The plot is tissue-thin and the dialogue occasionally groans under its own weight. Requires genuine suspension of disbelief.

Lethal Weapon1987

Riggs and Murtaugh investigating a conspiracy that reaches into intelligence networks. Donner's film has the same adrenaline but adds character depth and a partnership that crackles with real chemistry and humour.

But It's longer and more interested in story than Raw Deal is. If you want pure momentum, this takes detours.

Beverly Hills Cop1984

Axel Foley crashing through a murder investigation with improvisation and swagger. Eddie Murphy's riff-heavy charm and the slick 80s Miami setting make this feel fresher and funnier than most action of the era.

But It's more comedy than action, and the plot is frankly a skeleton. Some of the racial comedy hasn't aged well.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Raw Deal

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Thief1981

Both are undercover/infiltration narratives, but Thief treats the isolation and psychological cost seriously where Raw Deal treats it as a plot device. One is a character study, the other a vehicle.

Michael Mann's masterpiece: James Caan as a career criminal planning one last job. Hypnotic cinematography, a synthesizer score that defines cool, and crime seen as a lonely vocation rather than a power fantasy. This is what undercover could be if you wanted art.

But It's slow, meditative, and interested in mood over momentum. The violence is sparse and the ending is not triumphant.

The Long Good Friday1980

Bob Hoskins as a London gangster watching his empire collapse in 24 hours. Taut, vicious, and genuinely smart—organized crime seen from the inside with dialogue that bites.

But It's British, slower-paced, and interested in talk as much as violence. The ending is ambiguous in a way action fans might find unsatisfying.

Vice Squad1982

A cop infiltrating the LA sex trade to catch a pimp. Grimy, nasty undercover procedural with real consequences and a moral weight that most action films sidestep.

But It's genuinely sleazy and exploitative in its subject matter, and the tone is bleak rather than cathartic.

Tequila Sunrise1988

Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell as old friends on opposite sides of a drug war. Undercover action with actual emotional stakes, a love triangle, and the kind of California cool that defined late-80s thrillers.

But It's more interested in character than spectacle, and the pacing is deliberate. Some will find it slight.

The Untouchables1987

Prohibition-era Chicago, Prohibition-era Chicago, Eliot Ness versus Al Capone. Ornate, beautifully composed, and Costner brings gravitas that most action heroes don't attempt.

But It's a period piece first and action movie second. Slower, more methodical, and interested in justice rather than revenge.

Predator1987

Schwarzenegger leading a team into the jungle to rescue hostages—or so they think. Carpenter's film has the muscle and momentum of Raw Deal but adds genuine suspense and a sci-fi twist that lands.

But The creature design is a bit silly, and some of the macho posturing feels dated. The third act is more alien-hunt than military action.

Red Heat1988

Schwarzenegger as a Soviet cop paired with a Chicago detective. The buddy-cop template with Cold War politics, decent action set-pieces, and Arnold doing deadpan fish-out-of-water comedy.

But The chemistry is sporadic and the script is uneven. It can't decide if it's serious or silly, and neither choice works consistently.

Infernal Affairs2002

Same engine—man inside a crime organization—but Infernal Affairs weaponizes the concept. It's about the psychological annihilation of living between two identities, not about avenging a dead kid.

A Hong Kong cop and a mob mole mirror each other's lives in this taut cat-and-mouse thriller. Wai Keung Lau and Alan Mak's film has the undercover premise but with constant, elegant reversals and a paranoia that Raw Deal never touches.

But It's in Cantonese and requires subtitles. The second half gets convoluted, and the ending is genuinely bleak.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie1976

Where Raw Deal asks 'how do you destroy the mob?', Killing asks 'what happens to an ordinary man when the mob destroys him?'. Same world, opposite temperature.

Cassavetes' Ben Gazzara as a small-time operator forced into a mob hit. Improvised, nocturnal LA, relationship between crime and shame explored with no bravado. The opposite of action-movie heroics.

But It's experimental and deliberately shapeless. Long dialogue scenes, murky sound, a protagonist you don't like. Cassavetes is an acquired taste.