Michael Mann has a trait that few directors match him for; being able to make a city come completely alive, packed with the day-to-day bustle of inhabitants, and a wide array of characters. Like Collateral is a film of the night, Heat is a film of the day, and both films match up to each other in terms of the thoroughly absorbing L.A atmosphere Mann so masterfully brings to life. However, the comparison between the two films is that Heat is on the bigger scale, perfectly made, detailed, stylish and thorough. This is perfection by Michael Mann, where he's doing what he does best; compelling, character-driven crime epics.
Remade from his 1989 film, L.A Takedown, Heat is extremely loosely based on a true story of two completely opposite men. Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), is a master thief, calculating and sharp. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), on the other hand, is a fiery police lieutenant, impatient but just as sharp as McCauley. But the two men have one similarity; their work is their life. Only McCauley has the upper hand of being a loner, emotionally detached from the world, everyone either a colleague, a civilian, or an enemy. Hanna, however, is weighed down by marriage problems caused by his complete devotion to his profession. The two men soon find themselves working to bring the other down as McCauley and his colleagues (Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Chris
Trejo) start on an ingenious scheme for a bank heist. Hanna is close behind, picking up the pieces, and finding out about his most bold target yet. Amidst the crime in Heat is an underlying range of interwoven sub-plots, including Hanna's own marriage problems, to McCauley's bond with a woman he meets, to a psychopathic ex-colleague of McCauley reaping havoc. It all ties in, and contributes beautifully to the story, and the ultimate climax. It's not just a story driven by its plot, but goes for a rich combination of both character and story. In the end, not a detail is missed, everything is covered.
Heat is a film that on first viewing is almost overwhelming by its attention to detail and depth, so much so, that the film does feel like it's drawn out. But it's not a small-time thriller like Collateral, but a crime saga, and Mann allows it to sprawl out whatever way it wants over its two and a half hour run time, yet the suspense is never lost. Repeated viewing makes the film easier to follow, hence all the more intriguing, everything coming together like a jigsaw. It's impossible not to admire what Mann's created; a story so rife and complex that it strikes the raw nerve of realism, building some as authentic as it is epic. Mann never overlooks a single detail. Heat is perfection in how complete it is, every step of the story covered, leaving no loose ends.
De Niro and Pacino are famously brought together in the same film for the first time, never before having shared the same scene. For fans of debatably the two greatest actors of all time, Heat is a milestone in film. Neither actor excels the other, as Pacino and De Niro are on the same level of greatness, but have a completely different style of acting. Pacino is an actor who succeeds in showing extreme emotion to great effect, being able to play a wide array of moods. De Niro is more subtle and specific, who's not as obvious as Pacino (especially older Pacino), not showing those extremes that well, but instead being a perfectionist in expression and having the powerful presence even if he's not saying anything. Heat really is a business for many people in deciding who they prefer, but it really is a chalk-and-cheese affair, but nonetheless a chance not to be missed in seeing them in the same film. The script itself is one of perfection, one of the main reasons why the film is so gritty and authentic, adding all the more depth and attention to detail. Mann also lines up an impressive supporting cast, one of the most impressive in the history of film, including Val Kilmer, Diane Venora, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, William Fichtner, Dennis Haysbert, Natalie Portman and Jon Voight amongst many. No cast member is shunned the spotlight, they all have equally important parts to play, and each is rounded into believable human beings rather than caricatures, something which is always a danger in a project on the same scale as Heat.
Despite the story and characters, Mann captures the scene perfectly. The action sequences have to be some of the most audacious ever filmed, and certainly the best. He captures it with realism, intensity and, suffice to say, a lot of noise which on 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound serves as an amazing cinematic experience, leaving your ears ringing. It's not only the action either, it's simple things like the 1990s club scene, throbbing and fresh, or the coffee-scented L.A police department, or McCauley's retro seaside apartment. The city itself is caught smoothly on camera, purple, yellow and black at night; gritty, humid and blue-skied during the day. It almost works as a period piece of the mid-90s, as good as Mann's 1992 film the Last of the Mohicans, where he constructed the 1700s so acutely. So much effort has clearly gone into the production and Mann has to at least be admired for that, even if you don't like the film.
Heat's one flaw is that it's depth and complexity isn't always appreciated by everyone, especially considering that it's an incredibly heavy film, like all of Mann's films. They all bear the same style, whether it be Collateral, the Last of the Mohicans, the Insider, or any of his other films. But Heat takes this to the next level because it's long, epic and unrelenting. It's not a film that's easy to watch, and requires thought and concentration. Inevitably it would be found boring by many audiences.
Nonetheless, Heat is Michael Mann's tour-de-force, with which he made his mark. One of the best films of the 1990s, with its unification of De Niro and Pacino, it defines outstanding film making, and is among the finest of its genre.
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Advantages: Perfect Casting, Story, Action, directing - the list goes on forever! Disadvantages: None what so ever - although at present, there are no DVD extras.
EMOO02 09.09.2004 ·
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Review of Heat
Mar 11th, 2006
(Mar 26th, 2007)
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