4. Capt. Ivan Danko - Red Heat (1988)
Red Heat is certainly not Arnie's biggest triumph, considering the mixed response it has received from critics over the years, as well as the ridicule it endures for its frankly awful portrayal of Russian culture, including the bafflingly wrong portrayal of the language, but Arnie is great as the stuffy Russian cop. In 1988 buddy cop movies were golden, and Red Heat was an unashamed attempt to cash in on that continued appeal - which becomes immediately obvious from its brilliantly corny tagline: ""Moscow's toughest detective. Chicago's craziest cop. There's only one thing more dangerous than making them mad: making them partners." Casting Jim Belushi might not be the greatest idea these days, but opposite Arnie's stoic straight man, the lesser Belushi brother is uncharacteristically good, in part thanks to the subtle work of his partner. In one of his first comedy roles, Arnie is great fun to watch, embodying the reductive Russian stereotype so well you can almost forgive the utter cultural ignorance that underpins the character. The film isn't excellent by any means, but Arnie steals the show, and his performance deserves more plaudits.