| Having developed his skill as a master of contemporary crime drama, writer-director Michael Mann displayed every aspect of that mastery in this intelligent, character-driven thriller from 1995, which also marked the first onscreen pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The two great actors had played father and son in the separate time periods of The Godfather, Part II, but this was the first film in which the pair appeared together, and although their only scene together is brief, it's the riveting fulcrum of this high-tech cops-and-robbers scenario. De Niro plays a master thief with highly skilled partners (Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore) whose latest heist draws the attention of Pacino, playing a seasoned Los Angeles detective whose investigation reveals that cop and criminal lead similar lives. Both are so devoted to their professions that their personal lives are a disaster. Pacino's with a wife (Diane Venora) who cheats to avoid the reality of their desolate marriage; De Niro pays the price for a life with no outside connections; and Kilmer's wife (Ashley Judd) has all but given up hope that her husband will quit his criminal career. These are men obsessed, and as De Niro and Pacino know, they'll both do whatever's necessary to bring the other down. Mann's brilliant screenplay explores these personal obsessions and sacrifices with absorbing insight, and the tension mounts with some of the most riveting action sequences ever filmed--most notably a daylight siege that turns downtown Los Angeles into a virtual war zone of automatic gunfire. At nearly three hours, the film qualifies as a kind of intimate epic, certain to leave some viewers impatiently waiting for more action, but it's all part of Mann's compelling strategy. Heat is a true rarity: a crime thriller with equal measures of intense excitement and dramatic depth, giving De Niro and Pacino a prime showcase for their finely matched talents. --Jeff Shannon |
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 A Crime Saga to Remember |
| Review Date: May 20, 2002 |
| Reviewer: Michael Crane, Orland Park, IL USA |
Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are two of my favorite actors. So when I found out that they would be in a movie together, I was very excited to see it. "Heat" is a crime saga masterpiece that mixes drama and film noir together. Combine all of those elements together and you get one hell of a movie.
Pacino plays a L.A. detective who is obsessed with his job. He has dedicated his life to put away every single criminal in the state. Much so that he has become obsessed with his job. De Niro plays a criminal who loves to go on heists. A professional he is, and he never gets caught. Soon, the two's lives collide with each other and all hell breaks out. Pacino becomes obsessed with catching De Niro. He will not rest until he is locked up.
That is only half of the story. There are many stories in this crime drama that interact with each other. Other great actors in this film include Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, and many more. Every character is unique in his or her way.
The director/writer does an excellent job of making us feel sympathy for the characters, even the bad ones. He has created a very dark and gloomy world in which nothing is certain. Problems lurk around every corner, ready to destroy each person. Don't be mistaken, this isn't an action flick. This is more of a film noir if anything. It's dark, the tone is somber, and it doesn't have the happiest ending. Although there is a bank heist scene in the movie that has to be one of the best action sequences in a long time.
As much as I love Robert De Niro, and he does a great job portraying his character, Pacino steals the show. It's one of his best roles in recent years. He's vulgar, rude, offensive, and short-tempered. But, he also has a heart, and you get to see that as the movie progresses. As serious as his character is supposed to be, he has some of the funniest lines you will ever hear him say. He definitely wins "best actor" in my book.
Again, this isn't an action film. It is very long (almost three hours), and it is very story oriented. The film concentrates on character development the most. This is a great film that realistically portrays these kinds of characters. This is a movie about choices and consequences, and you're not exactly sure how the movie will end. A very good movie that should've received more recognition.
P.S. I haven't had the chance to check out the special features on this DVD. From what I remember, there isn't too many. But that would be because the movie is so long, and it's all on one side. |
A masterpiece
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| Review Date: March 27, 2005 |
| Reviewer: N. Durham, Philadelphia, PA |
| 10 years after the release of Michael Mann's epic crime tour de force, Heat is still an absolute masterpiece. Originally a screenplay which sat on the shelf for almost twenty years before being greenlit, Heat is the perfect character driven crime drama. Mann pits Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as a dueling cop and crook whose lives bear stunning resemblances to themselves. Vincent (Pacino) becomes obsessed in his case to help escape the reality of his failing marriage, while Neil (De Niro) is a cool, calm, collected and disciplined master thief who, with his skilled team (including Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore) are planning a heist which will change everyone involved forever. This portrait of these people and their failing personal lives sacrificed for their obsessive careers makes Heat the best film to come from Mann, and undoubtadly the best big budget crime drama to come out of the 90's. The face off between Pacino and De Niro is a film buff's dream, and the climactic LA shootout is possibly one of the best action sequences in cinematic history. The rest of the cast, which includes Jon Voight, Diane Venora, Natalie Portman, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Kevin Gage, Denis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Danny Trejo, Henry Rollins, Tom Noonan, and Hank Azaria, does brilliant work. Truly a cinematic masterpiece. This new 2-disc Special Edition from Warner Bros. contains a great commentary from Mann and a few nice featurettes, but the deleted scenes are hardly worth watching and add nothing to the film. |
Maximum praise.
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| Review Date: February 2, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Michael J. Berquist, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA |
| I estimate that Director/Writer Michael Mann could have cut about an hour out of "Heat" and still have a pretty good movie, but I am glad he didn't. "Heat" is an outstanding film- a tour-de-force duel between an elite crew of bank robbers led by Robert DeNiro and an elite crew of police officers led by Al Pacino. This is a movie you have to savor for each and every scene. Mann does an outstanding job writing a complex movie. Just about a bank robbery movie? Nope, the heroes and villains are complicated and have their motives. Mann understands that the most interesting hero is one with flaws (Pacino's cop is a workaholic ruining his latest marriage) and the best villains are ones with their own agenda and their own code (DeNiro has a philosophy and a noble goal- to do one big score, leave and live the good life). The acting talent Mann assembles is awesome- Pacino, DeNiro, Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Natalie Portman, and Mykelti Williamson. All give great performances. Al Pacino is terrific as usual here, but I have the most respect of all for Robert DeNiro. DeNiro may be the best actor alive- who else could play his twisted, creepy psycho in "Cape Fear", his cold gangster roles in "Goodfellas" and "Casino", his funny gangster in "Analyze This", and his action hero mercenary in "Ronin"? And this is only a fraction of the parts he's played! Here he plays the cold, calculating leader of the bank robbers, the worthiest adversary Al Pacino's cop has ever come up against. Could Michael Mann make a bad movie? I doubt it. "Heat" is a brilliant movie. Brilliant. |
An Intelligent And Thrilling Film.
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| Review Date: November 16, 1999 |
| Reviewer: Mr. Fellini, El Paso, Texas United States |
| Michael Mann is one of the greatest of all directors. He brings incredible style and vision to the screen. This is best seen in his masterpiece of a cop thriller: "Heat." The film is thrilling, action-packed and fantastically written. The plot is complex and intriguing. The characters are well-written and interesting and hold the film up by themselves. The cinematography is rich and the entire film is wonderfully stylish. "Heat" is a skillfull movie that never makes us loose interest. Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro give great performances that rank among their best. There are moments of great tension and drama that ignite the screen. This is one of the best cop thrillers ever made. |
Intelligent and exciting thriller
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| Review Date: January 28, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , |
| Michael Mann has constructed a masterpiece of a cops-and robbers movie in a genre that so often receives the slam-bang approach. While being a little concerned that the movie would be a repeat of his handling of the novel "Red Dragon" - that became the movie "Manhunter", or a big screen "Miami Vice", nothing could be further from the truth. Mann skillfully brings out first rate performances from the lead players: The master thief of De Niro juxtaposed with Pacino's workaholic cop is a masterstroke of casting that works so well. Pacino is delightfully over the top in his portrayal of the dedicated, sacrifice-everything police professional determined to stop the equally professional "crew" headed by De Niro. The crew is wonderfully played by Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore, with Sizemore in particular giving one of his finest screen performances as the action-seeking professional crook who could, financially, walk away from the life of crime that serves to fuel his adrenaline glands as much as his bank balance. Robert De Niro is outstanding in his portrayal of Neil, the time-served thief: A man determined never to go back behind bars, yet unable or unwilling to pursue any other way of life. The meeting of De Niro and Pacino in the coffee shop scene is a cornerstone to the explosive action sequences that climax with the final bank heist. This has to be one of the all-time greatest actions sequences ever filmed and is a set piece of the movie that will become, undoubtedly, a benchmark for other action movie directors. It out does the car/train chase scene from "The French Connection!" Top marks to Mann for the tight and well-edited screenplay and direction, leaving you wanting more even at the end of three hours. Well worth the money! |
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