Heat (1995)

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Summary

A crime saga set in Los Angeles, Heatfocuses on the lives of two men on opposite sides of the law one a detective the other a thief.

Review

Heat is not for the sort of person who things Tango And Cash is the apotheosis of cop films, but it still manages to please just about everyone in the audience with its skillfull blend of action and drama with some acting that reminds you that at one point, Pacino and De Niro were not caricatures of themselves and that Val Kilmer’s reputation as a complete jerk may be outweighed by his ability to bring gravitas to a supporting role.

As the film opens, we get to see De Niro’s team of thieves take out an armored van in a scene that’s eerily prescient of the Northridge bank robbery of a few years later. Immediately, you learn how efficient these guys are at doing their job and only a slight mistake on their part gives Pacino’s detective a clue he needs to begin an investigation that pits him against De Niro and causes both of their lives to slowly unravel as the film builds over to its inevitable and enthralling climax. The amount of character in this movie is admirable everyone seems fully formed and the actors all carry their weight well in a script that’s sprawling yet never takes anyone for granted.

Michael Mann’s never been properly appreciated as an auteur, but his unique voice and approach to storytelling places him quite handily in the same league as the increasingly bland Scorcese, in my opinion. The three hours in this movie reward you in ways that another three or four movies couldn’t.

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