Why It Ranks
Raw Deal is deep-cut Arnold, the film even hardcore fans forget. But the ‘Satisfaction’ massacre scene is an all-time Arnold moment, and the mob infiltration plot is a unique departure from his usual sci-fi and military fare.
The Film
Raw Deal is the forgotten Schwarzenegger film — released between Commando and Predator, it was overshadowed by both and dismissed by critics. Arnold plays a disgraced FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate the Chicago mob and bring down a crime lord. The film’s highlight is the climactic one-man assault on the mob’s headquarters, set to the Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,’ where Arnold mows down an entire criminal organization with a machine gun. It’s not great cinema, but it’s Arnold doing what Arnold does best: walking into rooms full of bad guys and walking out as the only one standing.
Fun Facts
The film was a rare commercial disappointment for Schwarzenegger, sandwiched between two of his biggest hits.
Arnold reportedly took the role to prove he could act in a non-sci-fi setting. Critics disagreed.
The Rolling Stones song rights cost more than several of the film’s action sequences.
John Irvin directed the war classic Hamburger Hill the following year, a significant tonal shift.
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