This lengthy cops n' robbers thriller could not fail, one would think, considering it paired off two of the biggest legends in cinema. Michael Mann's ambitions, however, went way beyond the inevitable pairing of Pacino and De Niro in a movie to create an absolute masterpiece of contemporary film drama; that is perfectly paced, and incisively acted. Heat is not just a remarkably powerful and invigorating experience, but one of the greatest films of all time.
Most people will probably know that this was the first time Pacino and De Niro acted together; both starred in The Godfather Part II but were separated chronologically. Thankfully, Mann handles the unquestionable talent of both actors with maturity: he neither bores or over-exhausts the audience with characterizations or plot, which keeps the level of interest high from beginning to end of a three hour plus running time.
What keeps Heat fresh is its philosophical view of both sides of the law. Pacino is Vincent Hanna, a obsessed homicide detective who immediately takes an interest in McCauley (De Niro) and Co.'s flawless robbery of an armoured truck in downtown L.A.:
"M.O.? Is that they're good... Once it escalated into a murder one beef for all of 'em after they killed the first two guards, they didn't hesitate. Pop guard number three because... what difference does it make? Why leave a living witness? Drop of a hat these guys will rock and roll..."
Hanna's dedication and blunt honesty, however, are putting a strain on his family life at home, much to the disarray of his wife Justine (Diane Verona).
De Niro's portrayal of the ruthless thief Neil McCauley is equally as fascinating. Scared of emotional commitment, and in-between the chaotic marriage of his cohort Chris (Val Kilmer) and his wife Charlene (Ashley Judd), McCauley is focused and shockingly brutal when he feel he needs to be.
Both legends finally get to meet in an eagerly anticipated scene, and what's most invigorating, and perhaps most surprising, is the two choose to exchange their life notes rather than spray each other with bullets. Don't be put off though, as the dialogue provides an ambitious study of two individually brilliant characters that will make you realise why you respected both actors so much in the first place.
Still though, you'll be yearning for blood shed and what soon follows is surely one of the biggest machine gun shoot outs on the streets to ever take place on film. At a hundred minutes Heat is now a game of cat and mouse survival, with only one of the two legends capable of winning.
I won't spoil the ending for you, but Michael Mann does deliver a fantastic night time climax between McCauley and Hanna that will keep the adrenaline flowing well past the credits.
Don't be put off by the long running time: there is plenty of wit and energy that is guaranteed to keep you glued from beginning to end. To say it's good would be completely dishonest, to say the least; Heat is very, very good.
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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
Feb 10th, 2009
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