Monday, January 21, 2019

CARDIAC ARREST (1980) *


A serial killer is going around San Francisco cutting out people’s hearts.  A meek cop (Gary Goodrow) is on the case working every angle he can.  He thinks the murders may be linked to an organ harvesting ring and perpetually pesters a famous heart transplant doctor (Ray Reinhardt) about it.  Meanwhile, a rich woman (Susan O’Connell) in desperate need of a heart will stop at nothing to get a transplant.

I have a vivid memory of being in a video store and being scared by the video box of Cardiac Arrest as a kid.  From the box art, you’d think it was going to be a gory horror flick in the vein of Dr Butcher M.D.  However, I think this is one of those rare cases where the poster is gorier than the movie itself.  

In fact, it plays more like an overlong TV pilot for a police procedural show than the horror movie it was advertised to be.  The pacing is lethargic, the central mystery is boring, and I found myself nodding off more than a few times.  The banter between Goodrow and his partner is sometimes painful to sit through too.

The best part about the movie is seeing Fred Ward popping up in a small role.  He at least shows a spark of life, while everyone else just sort of goes through the motions.  Ward’s part is tiny, but at least he figures into the film’s climax.  I can’t guarantee you’ll make it that far though. 

In short, Cardiac Arrest is one thriller with no signs of a pulse.

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