Heart Condition

In Los Angeles, the call girls Crystal Gerrity (Chloe Webb) and Peisha (Eva LaRue) are partying with the prominent Senator Marquand (Frank R. Roach) that has an overdose. Crystal keeps the film with the photos she had taken and together with Peisha, she meets the lawyer Napoleon Stone (Denzel Washington) that is her boyfriend. Meanwhile the racist and bigoted cop Jack Moony (Bob Hoskins) sees Stone in his car with Crystal, who was his girlfriend, and chases him despite the protest of his partner Harry Zara (Ray Baker) that wants to be promoted to detective. However Jack has a heart attack but is saved by the heart of Stone, who had a car accident. Out of the blue, Jack sees the ghost of Stone that tells him that he was murdered. Jack is forced to team-up with Stone to investigate who killed him. But no one else can see Stone but him.

"Heart Condition" is a strange film that is lost between comedy with heavy hand and crime. The plot is funny is some moments and violent in others. There are holes in the story, like for example, how Jack would explain the large amount that he had spent. In addition, this character is non-likable. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Estranha Condição" ("A Strange Condition")

As "Heart Condition" was made at roughly the same time as "Ghost", it was not a "copy". It ("Heart Condition") isn't a "love story" (as "Ghost" is), which let it's comedic portrayal overshadow "Ghost", in my opinion.

GREAT movie!

Continuing my plan to watch every movie in Denzel Washington's filmography I come to 1990's Heart Condition.

What a disappointing way for Denzel to follow up an Oscar winning role. I remember liking this, but I actually fell asleep twice, watching this, this time around.

This had so much potential to be hilarious. But the laughs are few and far between and the action is dull.

Bob Hoskins is meant to be a sort of flawed, loveable rascal, but he just comes off as an absolute douche!! He doesn't have the charm of a Danny DeVito, so he is able to do and say awful things, but you still root for him. Denzel is the best thing in the movie, has a good comic timing, but has to deliver some awful lines.

Chloe Webb (who you may recognise from Twins) has a prominent role, as the cliche'd whore with a heart of gold, who was involved with both of the main characters.

Released the same year as Bill Cosby's Ghost Dad, Heart Condition was another flop, earning less than $5 million dollars against an $10 million budget to be the years 131st highest grossing movie.

Not many shootouts no car chases but a few funny bits ok doesn't sound like the best film ever but its not that bad. Bob Hoskins plays detective Jack Mooney one night he has a heart attack and has to have a heart transplant sadly for him the heart of his worst enemy is the only one available.

This little known fantasy action comedy released in 1990 is most notable for being an early screen appearance of Denzel Washington. Savaged by critics upon release, it has the distinguished honor of being one of a handful of films with a stunning 0% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Misunderstood by critics and audiences alike at the time it came out, I think this film deserves to be reappraised. It's a great film, entertaining, funny, interesting for the concept alone, and maybe even a little moving depending on the mood you're in.

This film is weird though, for sure. It tries to be a little bit of everything: A buddy cop movie, a comedy, a romantic drama, and an action movie. It actually succeeds, at least somewhat, even if it's not perfect. I totally get the hate for this movie, I understand why it was savaged, and maybe it's just my love of Denzel that makes me soft to this, but I didn't mind it.

This film occurred during Denzel's strange string of films during his rise to success in the 80s and 90s. Denzel was obviously being nudged in the action star direction by his agent, which makes sense looking at his early career. It seems like for every successful, important film he did, he did another less successful, more exploitative action/thriller film; Mo' Better Blues/Heart Condition (1990), Mississippi Masala/Ricochet (1991), Much Ado About Nothing/The Pelican Brief (1993), Devil in a Blue Dress/Crimson Tide/Virtuosity (1995), He Got Game/The Siege (1998), The Hurricane/The Bone Collector (1999). Notice the pattern? Basically Denzel made a lot of great underrated films on his rise to success.

Bob Hoskins and Denzel Washington are both great in their roles, and Denzel is definitely likable even if his character is supposed to be sleazy and despicable. Hoskins isn't exactly likable, at least until halfway through the movie, but he does grow on you, and both actors definitely elevate the material above a dumb made-for-TV piece of crap.

This is described as an action comedy, but it's definitely more of a comedy with action in it. There're two action scenes, the car and foot chase in the beginning, and the final shootout. In between it's basically comedic dialogue and romantic drama. The film's drawn-out climax definitely feels like it belongs in another movie, and Hoskins isn't the first actor I'd've picked to see in a shootout (then again, I wouldn't've picked Denzel to play an obnoxious but funny ghost).

The movie's main problem is its tonal shifts. Any genre-hybrid movies will often have this problem, and this film does too. A light fantasy comedy sometimes, a heavy drama at others, and the violent climax all don't fit incredibly well-together, but it's fun so who cares? It just gave itself too many things to juggle at once, and a film shouldn't have to work too hard to achieve its purpose.

You have to go into this movie with low expectations, like me, and you'll probably be surprised, or you just have to be in a good mood.