Dead Heat is the best buddy-cop zombie comedy I've ever seen! A totally original spin on the buddy cop genre, Dead Heat has Treat Williams playing Roger Mortis (clever last name) who is a tight-laced, by-the-book detective. His partner is Detective Doug Bigelow, a loose-cannon cop played by none other then Joe Piscopo. By this point you have probably figured out that there will be no laughs provided by this film and you have also probably guessed that this is the only buddy-cop zombie comedy I've ever seen. Sweet Treat and Piscopo?! Aren't you just a little curious? Unfortunately I was.

Sweet Treat and Piscopo have responded to a 211 in progress and much to their chagrin they discover that their bullets have no effect on the jewel thieves. Piscopo has to take one of them out with a grenade, while Sweet Treat drives his car into the other. Excessive use of force in broad daylight?!! Que the chief chewing out our heros and throwing them out of his office scene. Okay, nothing original just yet, but wait, it gets better. No really. The duo stops by the coroner's to figure out what made these criminals so hard to stop. Lo and behold, Sweet Treat used to stick it to Rebecca the coroner. ELECTRIC! Rebecca informs our crime fighters that the corpses have been through her lab before. Zombies! But how?

Rebecca found trace amounts of Sulfathiazole in their skin tissue. Sulfathiazole? Didn't Dante Pharmaceutical (Dante? Really? They couldn't be more subtle than Dante Pharmaceutical?) just purchase 50 kilos of Sulfathiazole?! Mrs. Randy James ( Lindsay Frost) is the head of public relations at Dante Pharmaceutical and when her eyes meet Sweet Treat's . . . ELECTRIC! Mrs. James gives the boring tour that only a pharmaceutical company can provide. All seems normal, but not to Piscopo and his "We don't need no warrant" attitude. He discovers a secret high-tech chamber where he is attacked by a zombie! Rushing to his partner's aid, Sweet Treat is caught in an air pressure chamber where he asphyxiates. Rebecca the coroner arrives on the scene to find out what has become of her former lover. Piscopo shows Rebecca the secret chamber, where with her vast knowledge as a coroner, she figures out this chamber holds a device to resurrect the dead. Maybe she can have her Sweet Treat after all. Placing the cold body in the device Rebecca is able to bring the Treat back to life . . . ELECTRIC!

Now the Sweet Treat is a zombie. A zombie cop fighting zombies?! I told you it would get better. The effects provided by Steven Johnson are top notch. A thoroughly entertaining scene where everything in a butcher shop is resurrected and pissed off about their situation will have you and your friends in tears. Johnson's effects are showcased throughout the film, but the crowning moment, in my humble opinion, is when Mrs. Randy Johnson reaches for Sweet Treat (ELECTRIC!) and her arm drops off. Hysterical! Dead Heat is a true bad movie and should be viewed in numbers with lots of alcohol!

Hamlin Grade: 5.5

Fletch is a killing word!