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A Los Angeles crime saga, "Heat" focuses on the lives of two men on opposite sides of the law - one a detective; the other a thief.
Al Pacino: Lt. Vincent Hanna
Robert De Niro: Neil McCauley
Heat(1995): Classic Michael Mann cat and mouse drama using the heart of a living, breathing Los Angeles; Gritty, realistic and pure professionalism. We have the two parallel yet relating characters; A professional thief and an equally determined cop.
Pacino as the cop with more snazz than any other man, every time this guy opens his mouth with his one liners or bellows his stuff you gotta marvel and watch and Robert De Niro as the professional score taker results in being a no nonsense, intelligent, stern expert whom is the perfect accompaniment to Pacino.Godfather 2 was their first film collaboration together but they never had screen time featured together due to Robert De Niro being in past flashbacks. Heat fulfills the wish in a thrilling, fresh new way.
The key to Heat being what it is again are the two players in this momentous game and this is the legendary and moving Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, and of course the thrilling direction of Micheal Mann.
DeNiro is Neil McCauley, a life time thief who is brilliant at it and treats it like a major operation that it is complete with his tight knit crew. McCauley is cocky in some ways, egotistical and yet subtle and smooth. DeNiro is a sight to behold and does a great job. However between the two of them I have to give it up for the amazing Al Pacino whom is mind blowingly addictive to watch as Lt. Vincent Hanna whose passion for the job is rivaled by no other. Pacino's personal life is explored at length as we see how much he lives for this job and to stop McCauley like it's a personal vendetta for him. He's passionate and loud as Pacino always is but entrances you to his scenes. The rest of the cast is just packed with stars of various talent and Hollywood status including Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman(magnetic chemistry opposite DeNiro), Ashley Judd, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, and Mykelti Williamson (always makes a good cop.) However, this ensemble cast was put together to support DeNiro and Pacino and they all pull it off effortlessly.
A sample of the witty dialogue will have you in a panache of amusement, again Al Pacino recieves the wittiest lines by a mile:
Alan Marciano: Why'd I get mixed up with that bitch?
Vincent Hanna: Cause she's got a great ass... and you got your head all the way up it! Ferocious, aren't I? When I think of asses, a woman's ass, something comes out of me.
For the cinematography, I must say the man behind the magic, Dante Spinotti has succeeded in pulling off a tremendous effort out of his hat of wonders. The city of LA has never looked this wide or gritty until this film was released. The night-time scenes, the helicopter flybys, and the moving car shots of the film are all stunning to watch, as it majestically captures a sparkling portrait of Los Angeles set against an urban landscape.
To accompany the cinematography, the music by Elliot Goldenthal is simply unforgettable. Especially the arrangements with the Kronos Quartet. It really adds to the entire atmosphere and theme of the film's storytelling and thrilling conjunctions.
''I do what I do best, I take scores. You do what you do best, try to stop guys like me.''
Director/writer Michael Mann gives us his masterpiece. The direction is tightly executed, the story fantastically involving, evolving and original, and the screenplay is well-written. The action scenes were extremely well-handled, kinetic, heart pounding, and most important of all, realistic. This is what makes it stand out from the rest of the other crime films - they tend to put in moments of Deux Ex Machina, such as the police knowing every trick up the crooks' sleeve - but not this film. It's good, because Mann is dedicated to show both sides of the cop vs. criminal story, and he succeeds with dazzling results. This film and including Collateral, I can tell he is a skilled and dedicated filmmaker when it comes to crime thrillers. By the time the film ends you won't even know how three hours passed. It engages you on every level.
The final scene is so powerful with the two men tightly gripping each others hands, respecting each other, two collosus Gods, two lions of men concluding an epic chase, one that shows them as equals in a journey bigger than themselves.
Vincent Hanna: You know, we are sitting here, you and I, like a couple of regular fellas. You do what you do, and I do what I gotta do. And now that we've been face to face, if I'm there and I gotta put you away, I won't like it. But I tell you, if it's between you and some poor bastard whose wife you're gonna turn into a widow, brother, you are going down.
Neil McCauley: There is a flip side to that coin. What if you do got me boxed in and I gotta put you down? Cause no matter what, you will not get in my way. We've been face to face, yeah. But I will not hesitate. Not for a second.
10/10
