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Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Recently, I watched Heat again. I love this freakin movie for the cat-and-mouse game but for the intensity that it brings. Heat is one of those films that had a significant impact and is influential today. Director Christopher Nolan has stated that he drew inspiration in his portrayal of Gotham City from Heat. If you love video games, Heat has been influential in the Grand Theft Auto series. We will get to that later, but the film keeps giving. Starring both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, this film hits all the major points you want in a movie.
Written and directed by Michael Mann, the film follows the conflict between an LAPD detective and a career criminal. Neil McCauley (De Niro) is a professional thief in Los Angeles. He has no relationship and lives by a single code: “allow nothing to be in your life that you cannot walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you spot the heat around the corner.” He leads a crew that consists of Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer), Michael Cheritto (Sizemore), Trejo (Trejo), and newly hired hand Waingro (Gage). His crew hit and robbed an armored truck of $1.6 million in bearer bonds. They would’ve made it scot-free, but Waingro kills a guard without provocation. McCauley, in turn, McCauley kills a second guard who attempts to pull out his concealed weapon, and Cheritto kills the third guard so as to not leave any witnesses. Pissed that he had to kill the guard, McCauley prepares to get rid of his Wanigro problem, but Waingro manages to escape him. LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Pacino) and his team are put on the case and investigate the robbery. Hanna is a dedicated lawman and a former Marine but has a very strained relationship with his third wife, Justine (Venora). He also struggles to connect and have a decent relationship with his stepdaughter, Lauren (Portman). Hanna is far more dedicated to the job than any meaningful relationship. McCauley is offered one last job as he wants to get out of the game, but he soon breaks his code when he meets a beautiful woman and falls in love. This sets the stage for these two similar personalities to clash. Will Hanna stop McCauley, or will McCauley leave before Hanna can catch him?
Heat is an extraordinary and fantastic film. Major props to director Michael Mann for making this intense cat-and-mouse film. Mann wrote the original script way back in 1979. Glad he waited because it was damn well not an 80s film. Mann first used the script as a television pilot called L.A. Takedown in 1989, but it didn’t receive a series order. In 1994, Mann revisited the script and made the best decision by turning it into a feature film. Mann’s style is all over this film with the way the camera moves and how the scenes play out. Mann used the title of the film to keep the intensity high.
The story is phenomenal, and I loved every second of it. You might think it is a slow build-up to the finale, but the pieces move around exceptionally well to set the stage for the conclusion. The start of the film really sets the tone of the film as McCauley, and his men rob the truck. When Vincent is put on the case, you can tell he will go all out to find McCauley and his crew. This is where the fun begins. McCauley’s fence suggests he sell the stolen bonds back to their original owner, money launderer Roger Van Zant. Van Zant agrees to buy but is pissed that he has to repurchase his stuff. Dude arranges to have McCauley, and his men ambushed. McCauley and his crew anticipate this move, counter-ambush, kill the hitmen, and vow to kill Van Zant.
You think things are good when the thorn of Waingro murders a prostitute. When Hanna’s team investigates the murder, they learn that it leads to other murders committed the same way. An informant of the LAPD connects Cheritto to the robbery. Hanna’s team begins monitoring McCauley’s team and leads them to their next target, a precious metals depository. Hanna’s team stakes out the depository, but when a careless officer makes a noise, McCauley has his crew walk off the job. Wait, it gets even better. When Vincent’s team goes to the shipping yard, they soon learn they are being surveillance by McCauley’s team.
The film has two great scenes. The first one is the diner scene between Vincent and McCauley. The two discuss life and why they are the way they are. You can tell that both men will not give up and will ultimately have to face each other. The scene is so good because you see two men that understand each other and the weight of what they must do to succeed.
The second scene, by far the most intense and extraordinary, is the bank robbery. Holy shit was this scene extreme and influenced so many. When McCauley and his crew rob the bank, you think they might get away. They have their fearsome ski masks on and their automatic weapons. When Vincent gets word of the robbery, his team rushes down. Watching Vincent run down the street with his automatic rifle is a straight-up gangsta. When everyone spots each other, all hell breaks loose. McCauley’s team has a firefight right in the middle of L.A. They shoot up cops and everything, which is an intense but AWESOME scene. The scene was so influential that it was in the 2001 video game Grand Theft Auto III as well as the 2008 sequel Grand Theft Auto IV. I remember playing that mission over and over because it was so intense.
What makes this movie really go is the fantastic acting of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Did you know this film is the first time these two legendary actors appeared on screen together? Yes, they were both in the Godfather Part II but never appeared in the same scene.
De Niro plays McCauley as a calm thief who tries to minimize all risks for him to get caught. He is loyal to his team, but homeboy has a code and will stick to it no matter what. We see a softer side to the thief when he meets Eady. This somewhat changes him until the end, when he drops her ass because he is about to get caught.
Pacino is the opposite of McCauley, as he is loud and aggressive and will not stop until he solves his case. Pacino also showed a man that wants to be a loving husband and stepfather, but the job always pulls him away. Pacino is great because when he is on his A-game, dude is intense and will make you not want to be around him.
Heat is a phenomenal, excellent, fun, and intense film. It is one of Michael Mann’s best films, and I can watch it repeatedly. Pacino and De Niro are excellent in their respective roles. The diner and bank robbery scenes are some of the best in film history. Watch this and enjoy it to the fullest.
BONUS CLIP!!!!
