I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Growing up in the 70s and 80s, we never missed an Arnold premiere after Terminator in 1984. His ouvre runs the gamut from good (Predator) to great (T2) to bad (Commando, although I know this cartoon has its admirers) to good silly fun (Running Man). But Raw Deal was one that fell through the cracks over the past thirty years -- I saw it in the theater and then never again, until Starz Action ran it a few months ago. To my surprise, I found myself really enjoying this film. Arnold's acting is horrocious, granted. But as others have mentioned, the rest of the cast is a fabulous tour through 70s/80s tough-guy action heaven. Besides the obvious stars (McGavin, Wanamaker, Davi, Shenar), the backups/extras in Raw Deal read like an anonymous thugazoid 80s highlight reel. There's Sven from Running Man, plus several others from Die Hard and even Action Jackson.One other thing -- I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kathryn Harrold in this film. Just watching her is a pleasure. What I wouldn't give for a time machine, so I could go back and run my hands through that wild 80s hairdo! Kathryn, I know you're in your 60s by now. But if you're reading this, rest assured that I'm still a fan.

A former FBI agent turned small-town sheriff agrees to help the FBI chief infiltrate the Chicago mafia when the FBI chief's son is killed by them. Raw Deal for years was my least favorite 80's Schwarzenegger action flick and it still is but that doesn't mean that the movie sucked you have Schwarzenegger driving around shooting people and Rolling Stones playing on the background, there's some cool one liners such as 'You should not drink and bake' or even 'what do i look like Dirty Harry?' let's not forget the Theme Song of the movie as well which is badass but the film has issues slow pacing and lack of good villains such as Bennett in Commando or even The Predator in Predator the villains are weak and forgettable although the last 20 minutes or so are by far the best part of the movie Schwarzenegger goes all Rambo fury in them and terminates every single one of them and for the most part the cast did a nice job but Schwarzenegger is easily the best part of the movie and the shining star as well. I give Raw Deal a 8 out of 10 it has problems and it's easily not one of Arnie's best from that time but it's still a pretty cool enjoyable flick!!

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 Sheriff 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.

Now I've loved Arnie's films since I was a kid. I remember stumbling upon this in a bargain bin being surprised I had never heard of it. since than I've considered it one of my favourite Arnie movies and have enjoyed watching it numerous times on DVD. Everything's great about it.1. Arnies acting 2.the B list cast (Robert Davi, Sosa from Scarface)3. the cheesy dialogue and one liners4. preposterous plot 5. the background music6.Over the top awesome action (beginning and ending + gravel pit scene) It's got everything you'd expect from a film with the name "SCHWARZENEGGER" splattered across the top of the poster.It's Arnie's most underrated movie, and essential watch for fans of 80's action movies.7/10