Honestly, if you haven't heard of the heart of fire movie, you’re actually in the majority. Most people haven't. And those who did? They probably spent years trying to scrub it from their memory banks. We aren't talking about the 1997 Patrick Duffy firefighter flick or that intense 2009 German docudrama about child soldiers in Eritrea—though both share the name.
No. We are talking about the absolute fever dream from 1987. The one starring Bob Dylan.
It’s one of those rare cinematic artifacts that feels like it shouldn't exist. You've got Richard Marquand directing—the guy who literally just did Return of the Jedi—and a script co-written by Joe Eszterhas, the man who later gave us Basic Instinct and Showgirls. On paper, it looks like a powerhouse. In reality? It’s a spectacular, slow-motion train wreck that effectively ended Marquand's career and left Dylan fans scratching their heads for decades.
What Actually Happens in the Heart of Fire Movie?
The plot is... well, it’s basically every 80s rock cliché thrown into a blender. Fiona Flanagan (just "Fiona" to the fans) plays Molly McGuire, a gritty, aspiring rocker working a toll booth. She gets "discovered" by Billy Parker, played by a very mumble-heavy Bob Dylan.
Billy is a washed-up, reclusive rock star who now raises chickens. Yeah. Chickens.
The story follows their weird, slightly uncomfortable relationship as Billy takes her to London. There, she meets James Colt, played by a young, pre-fame Rupert Everett. Colt is a synth-pop mega-star who is everything Billy isn't: flashy, arrogant, and actually interested in being a celebrity. Molly gets caught in this bizarre love triangle where she has to choose between the grumpy chicken farmer and the guy who looks like he lives in a can of hairspray.
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Dylan's performance is legendary for all the wrong reasons. He doesn't act so much as he "exists" in the general vicinity of the camera. He mumbles. He wanders. He looks like he’s trying to remember if he left the stove on back in Malibu.
Why Does This Movie Still Matter in 2026?
You might wonder why anyone is still talking about this in 2026. Truthfully, the heart of fire movie has become a bit of a "holy grail" for bad-movie aficionados. It’s the ultimate "so bad it's good" experience, but without the intentional camp of something like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
It’s an accidental time capsule.
Everything about it screams 1987. The hair is massive. The synth-heavy soundtrack (produced by John Barry, no less) is peak 80s. But more than that, it’s a fascinating look at a time when studios thought they could just put a legendary musician in a room, hit record, and print money. They tried it with Prince, they tried it with David Bowie, and with Hearts of Fire, they tried it with Dylan.
The budget was a massive $17 million. That was a lot of money back then. It made almost none of it back. It was pulled from UK theaters after just two weeks and barely even saw the light of day in the US before being dumped onto VHS.
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The Mystery of the Missing Dylan Songs
One of the biggest draws for collectors is the soundtrack. Dylan actually recorded a few original songs for the film, including "The Usual," "Had a Dream About You, Baby," and "Night After Night."
- The Usual: A gritty, bluesy number that actually isn't half bad.
- Night After Night: A track that Dylan completionists obsess over because it’s so hard to find in good quality.
- A Couple of Years: A half-finished ballad Dylan sings at the end that many fans think is the only genuine moment in the whole film.
If you’re looking for these tracks, you usually have to hunt down old vinyl copies or sketchy YouTube uploads because the official soundtrack has been out of print for ages.
The Tragic Backstory
There’s a darker side to the heart of fire movie history. Richard Marquand, the director, died of a stroke shortly after the film was completed. He was only 49. Because of this, the film is often referred to as "the movie that killed Richard Marquand."
Critics at the time were brutal. They blamed the script. They blamed Dylan’s "zombie-like" acting. They blamed the 19-year age gap between Dylan and Fiona, which, let's be real, feels pretty creepy when you watch it today. Even Rupert Everett, in his autobiography, didn't hold back. He described the filming process as a chaotic mess and noted that Dylan seemed completely disinterested in the entire production.
Identifying the Right "Heart of Fire"
If you're searching for this online, be careful. There are at least three different movies people confuse:
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- Hearts of Fire (1987): The Bob Dylan rock-n-roll disaster. This is the one most people are looking for when they want the "weird" movie.
- Heart of Fire (1997): A TV movie starring Patrick Duffy. He plays a firefighter named Max Tucker who rescues a girl from a burning oil tanker. It's based on a true story from New Zealand but is a standard "hero" flick.
- Feuerherz / Heart of Fire (2009): A critically acclaimed German film about a young girl in the Eritrean Liberation Front. It’s heavy, political, and actually very good, though it faced controversy regarding its factual accuracy.
How to Watch It Today
Finding the 1987 heart of fire movie isn't easy. It’s not exactly a priority for 4K remasters.
Currently, your best bet is hunting for used DVDs on eBay or checking specialized streaming services like Amazon Prime (depending on your region) or Shout! Factory. It occasionally pops up on YouTube in grainy 480p, which, honestly, is probably the way it was meant to be seen. It adds to the grimy, late-80s aesthetic.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're planning to dive into this rabbit hole, keep these tips in mind:
- Check the Title: Ensure you're looking for "Hearts of Fire" (plural) if you want the Dylan movie. Most search engines will correct it, but "Heart of Fire" (singular) often leads you to Patrick Duffy.
- Look for the Rupert Everett Memoir: If you want the real "behind-the-scenes" dirt, read Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins by Rupert Everett. His chapters on filming with Dylan are worth the price of the book alone.
- Collect the Vinyl: The soundtrack is actually better than the movie. If you find the LP at a thrift store, grab it. The Dylan tracks are genuine rarities that haven't been widely anthologized.
- Manage Your Expectations: Do not go into this expecting A Star Is Born. Go into it expecting a weird, mumbly, chicken-filled 80s relic.
The heart of fire movie serves as a permanent reminder that even the biggest legends can make massive mistakes. But in those mistakes, there’s usually something weirdly human and worth watching. Just don't expect Dylan to give you an Oscar-worthy performance—he was just there for the paycheck and maybe the chickens.