Directed by:
Michael MannScreenplay:
Michael MannCinematography:
Dante SpinottiComposer:
Elliot GoldenthalCast:
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine (more)Plots(1)
Neil McCauley is a hardened professional criminal who has spent many years behind bars and is determined never to go back. A highly focused loner, McCauley's protection is that there's nothing in his life that he can't walk away from in 30 seconds flat. Vincent Hanna is a lieutenant of detectives in LAPD's Robbery/Homicide Division who searches through the remains of a crime for the scent of his prey and then hunts them down. Those are the elevated experiences of his life--the rest is disorder. When McCauley and his team rob an armored van of bearer bonds, Hanna takes over the case. McCauley and his crew are nearly impossible to identify, let alone track down. But Hanna's network of informants and the details of each man's life--failures and dreams, betrayals and vendettas--generate clues Hanna is able to discover. Soon, Hanna and his detectives and McCauley and his crime partners are driven towards a collision from which only some will survive. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
Michael Mann wrote and directed something I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. He showed us precisely the line separating good and evil and the entire movie balances on that thin line. It isn’t clear for a long time who is good. Is anybody? Or is everybody good in their own way? Al Pacino certainly doesn’t come across as a positive hero and the same goes for De Niro. Even so, you find yourself crossing your fingers for them and the ending is incredibly nerve racking. Plus the action and mainly the big shootout is so wonderfully raw that your eyes are glued to the screen. If he manages to pull off something like it with Miami Vice, it’ll be Christmas in the summertime for me.
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A thrilling film where I didn’t mind the excessive runtime. De Niro and Al Pacino are reunited in a movie after a long time and it's worth it. A brilliant mix of action and a kind of subtly psychological portrait of two standing on the opposite side of the law, but who have respect for each other and something in common. Some passages are based on real events, e.g. the pivotal scene of DeNiro and Pacino's conversation in the restaurant actually happened. Heat is one of the best films of the 1990s.
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An unassuming action crime film that delves into the psyche of the characters down to the smallest detail, giving strong meaning to even the smallest scene and allowing the tension to build to unbelievable levels. And who do you root for? With a persistent shiver down my spine, perhaps both of them. The moment when Neil sees Vincent approaching on the sidewalk is a bombshell that had me trembling with anticipation throughout the second half. Heat is the first open victory of Michael Mann's civilian form and enduring sense of immediate interaction with the plot. I gotta hold on to my angst. I preserve it because I need it. It keeps me sharp, on the edge, where I gotta be.
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When you put Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the same movie, it's basically impossible for that combination not to work. Both of them are actors par excellence, as demonstrated by this film, which allows them to excel both in action and in acting. Michael Mann has made a film that has drive, even at three hours long, and has interesting characters on all fronts.
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A film that redefined the genre of modern detective stories. A film that pitted actors considered among the greatest in the history of cinema against each other. A film that etched itself into history with the most realistically portrayed shootout (one that will never be erased). Indeed, Heat excelled in many ways. As a fan of crime films, I regret that today’s filmmakers don’t devote the same passion to similar genre pieces as they did in the past. If Heat were made, say, 20 years later, I believe it would have been trimmed by about an hour and the creators would have tried to amplify everything. However, it’s the gradually building pace with excellently written dialogue scenes that captivated me in Heat. Overall, the film doesn’t rush, which artistically elevates it even more. Michael Mann is a professional in every respect; few filmmakers can retell a seemingly linear story as masterfully as he does. His camera cuts and precise direction give the film an air of craft perfection. Add to that the divine cast (in crime films, no villain has ever matched the quality of the protagonist; Robert De Niro's character is unmatched in charisma). And the action is top-notch, with the shootout being the cherry on top. It's a pity I couldn’t experience that loud sequence in a movie theater, as it must have been quite the event. And the ending, where the audience sees how the two central characters respected each other, is an experience that won’t be repeated. A masterpiece. I give it 93%.
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