I am extremely grateful for everyone that rates and comments on my reviews.
I am extremely grateful for everyone that rates and comments on my reviews.
Member since:18.03.2004
Reviews:13
Members who trust:4
Undoubtedly ‘Michael Mann’s’ best, Heat is an excellent blend of fine acting, a superb storyline, suspense and perfect precision – action set sequences, Making it what I believe to be the greatest heist movie ever made. (Ahead of ‘Heist’ and sadly even ‘Reservoir Dogs’).
As most know Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are two of the most well-known and respected actors still working on film. Brilliant at what they do and have impressed audiences with they superior acting skills for decades. Although both are labelled to many remember-able films, (Listed in ‘Background to movie’) between them they have only won three Oscars, (Al Pacino for best actor in ‘Scent of a woman’ and Robert De Niro for best actor and best supporting actor in ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘The Godfather Part II’). Even though they have both been nominated for many more and given other types, I think they have deserved to win more Oscars.
Anyway, having two of my favourite actors and at the same time being Hollywood legends, give excellent performances in the same film, since ‘The Godfather Part II’ is one of the reasons I think ‘Heat’ is such a great film.
Pacino and De Niro are not the only well chosen cast in the film, Tom Sizemore gives his best performance since ‘Natural Born Killers’. John Voight plays a small but effective role; Val Kilmer shows his true talent and William Fichtner, Danny Trejo Wes Studi and Natalie Portman also give impressive performances.
Heat is a long film, originally shown with over 3 hours of presentational time, but with repetitive editing, it was cut down to 171 minutes. However, do not let the length put you off seeing the it, there is never a boring moment, with a story to keep you gripped and THE BEST bank heist you will ever see!
You can watch Heat more than once, still receiving
the same thrills from the same scenes. The camera angles were perfect and the special effects were impressive.
A good, good film, having it on DVD is perfect, with the picture and sound quality at a good standard. Although if you were planning to purchase it soon on DVD, I would advise you wait a couple of months, as ‘Heat – special edition’ will be out shortly.
About the Movie (Some plot points may be revealed).
Heat could lightly be described as a film about 2 lives on opposite sides of the law. One an ‘LA’ cop, Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and the other an expert thief, Neil McCauley (De Niro). The film is about McCauley and his gang planning to pull off one big bank robbery to enable them to settle down for good. But on the other side of the law are Vincent and his enforcers, making sure that doesn’t happen.
The film does have exciting, remember-able, and suspenseful scenes as-well as one hell of a climax.
It starts off with De Niro and his friends pulling off a small but carefully planned job in the middle of the night involving a Security car and an ambulance. The scene is impressive, but in a way disturbing, when one of De Niro’s new recruits ‘Waingro’ (Kevin Gage) kills a guard in cold blood due to lack of experience and idiocy. Having his carefully laid plan screwed up De Niro attempts to kill Waingro but is not successful.
Throughout the film De Niro and his crew, made up of De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore and Danny Trejo, are scheming and meeting to come up with the perfect Heist. All the while being monitored by Pacino and the LA police.
John Voight comes into the film as De Niro’s friend and connection that is there to help arrange certain things and meetings.
After one bungled robbery in a warehouse, the group plan for their big hit, however before that in a great scene, cop and robber – Pacino and De Niro, meet up and chat over coffee in a nearby café. They chat for a while informing one another that if they have the chance they would not hesitate to kill on another.. All the time, giving each other a certain amount of respect. A fantastically filmed scene.
Eventually the robbery takes place, a tense well shot scene as the group attempts to each take a bag full of money causally out of the bank into their get-away-car. However, they had under-estimate Pacino and his force and forgot about their recruit that got away, ‘Waingro’, who had been telling of their plans to rob the bank. Both of the exits are blocked off and there in the most outstanding moment of the film, there is a shoot out to remember. I will not tell you who lives or dies, but the remainer of the film could not have been wrote better – ending in a beautiful climax, leaving you feeling cold but relieved. A superb film.
Background to Movie
Heat is a Michael Mann film, having been directed and wrote by him, which he does very successfully. (Michael Mann – Manhunter, Last of the Mohicans, Ali, the Insider).
The films length varies on where you go. The British DVD is 171 minutes (2 hours and 51 minutes) but in the USA, you can get the original copy at 188 minutes (3 Hours and 8 minutes).
The film mainly stared: - Al Pacino (The Godfather Part 1,2 and 3, Scareface, Dog day afternoon, Panic in needle park, Scent of a woman, Donnie Brasco, The Insider, Insomnia) – as Lt. Vincent Hanna.
Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part 2, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Untouchables, Goodfellas, Casino, Copland, Meet the Parents, Godsend) – as Neil McCauley.
Val Kilmer (Top Gun, Willow, True Romance, Tombstone, Batman Forever, The Saint) – as Chris Shiherlis
Tom Sizemore (Lock up, Born on the fourth of July, Point Break, Passenger 57, True Romance, Natural Born Killers, Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbour, Black Hawk Down) – as Michael Cheritto.
John Voight (Deliverance – please rate my review on Deliverance at http://www.ciao.co.uk/Deliverance__Review_5412854 , Mission Impossible, Anaconda, Enemy of the State, Pearl Harbour) – as Nate.
Danny Trejo (From Dusk Till Dawn 1, 2 and 3 – Please rate my review of From Dusk Till Dawn 3 at http://www.ciao.co.uk/From_Dusk_Till_Dawn_3_The_Hangman_s_Daughter__Review_5413935, Con Air, Desperado) – as Trejo.
The movie was filmed in LA.
Like the running time, the certificate of the film varies on what country you buy from, in the UK it is a 15, in the U.S.A. it’s a rated R and in Ireland and 18.
Heat is considered to be a Crime/Drama, but still is very exciting.
Heat took more than a year to write and plan by Michael Mann, he wrote this in the mid eighties but it was filmed only in the small space between February and July in 1995. Funnily enough, Mr Mann had already made cheap TV version of Heat before he made the 1995 version, it was titled ‘LA Takedown’.
Dante Spinoti beautifully did the Cinematographer of the film.
The shootout outside the bank robbery is considered to be the most exciting action scene, ever to be captured on film.
Heat did not win any Oscars, but was nominated for best sound design; Heat has excellent sound quality even though no sound stages were used.
My Evaluation
Heat is defiantly rated up in my top ten films, along with True Romance, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Last Samurai and more.
It was superbly filmed, sounded, casted, edited – It was superbly everything.
A definite masterpiece, that should not be overlooked as one of the best films ever made.
The Heat DVD that I purchased a few months ago however, is not that impressive, it has a still menu, not trailer, no special features, just the film, scene selection and audio options (it is compatible with DB surround sound).
Nevertheless, Heat is perfect DVD material, giving over perfect picture and sound quality.
Like I mentioned earlier, if you were planning on getting the film on DVD soon, I would wait for a few months, as the special edition will be out shortly.
What else can I say? If you haven’t seen it – see it, it is worth watching, and if you are a Pacino and De Niro fan, their performances will not let you down!
A good, good film and since it I have not seen any better casting in a film or any better shootout scene as the unforgettable bank scene.
Thank you for reading my review, if you do not think it was up to ‘exceptional’ standards, please inform me why not – so I can improve in my future reviews.
Thank You.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Advantages: Superb attention to detail; milestone in acting; stylish and authentic; intense, deep and complex Disadvantages: Mann's style not for everyone; arguably disappointing climax
harlequin21 11.03.2006 (26.03.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Heat
Advantages: Superb attention to detail; milestone in acting; stylish and authentic; intense, deep and complex Disadvantages: Mann's style not for everyone; arguably disappointing climax
harlequin21 11.03.2006 (26.03.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Heat
Sep 9th, 2004
exceptional by (16%):
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