Heat (B or 3/4 stars)
Al Pacino's L.A. cop Lieutenant, Vincent Hanna, & Robert De Niro's master thief, Neil McCauley, battle it out in Michael Mann's stellar 1995 cat-&-mouse epic crime thriller, 'Heat'. These 2 acting icons were in The Godfather Part II, but never interacted onscreen. And so, Michael Mann writes a script here that gives fans of these actors what they want: their 1st cinematic meeting. Set in modern day L.A., this sprawling 170 min. long cops-&-robbers tale begins by introducing us to Neil McCauley (DeNiro) as the cold-blooded, control freak boss of a well-organized gang. Said gang leaves no loose ends in their well-orchestrated heists ... so far. McCauley's philosophy: "To have nothing which you can't walk away from within 30 seconds".
The gang led by McCauley includes Chris (Val Kilmer), Michael (Tom Sizemore), Trejo (Danny Trejo) & new recruit, Waingro (Kevin Gage). In hot pursuit of $1.6 mill, they assault an armored truck, blow the door off, grab the guards & flee. One problem: Waingro gets jumpy & kills a guard. McCauley tries to violently kill-off Waingro for jeopardizing the operation, but Waingro is able to escape. Soon thereafter, homicide detective, Lt. Vincent Hanna (Pacino) arrives to investigate this gory robbery. The workhorse cop is not as successful at home as he is on the job, as his passion & ardor for his work is threatening to break-up his 3rd marriage to wife, Justine (Diane Venora); her daughter (young Natalie Portman) indirectly suffers, as well.
But through his tireless work - and a lucky break - Hanna is able to track down a gang member connected with McCauley. This leads the 2 men, both similar in nature & equally cunning, to in due course confront each other face to face over a cup of coffee at an innocuous cafe. But Hanna lets McCauley abscond from a trap, & that allows McCauley to attempt one final - and daring - bank robbery that would allow him to retire to an easy way of life down in the Caribbean with young girlfriend, Eady (Amy Brenneman) - who is blissfully unaware of his illegal activities. Drama ensues.
This lonnngggg, but very involving crime saga is directed with a propulsive sense of pace, cool style & verve by Michael Mann. There is a lowlife criminal atmosphere of these proceedings that is enticing to watch; a feel for the mean streets, with some great heist sequences & extraordinary action set pieces. Mann, who typically only directs, also happened to write the script for this film in its entirety; based on the real-life clash btwn. McCauley & a Chicago cop, Chuck Adamson. 'Heat' goes to show how many soulless people there are out there, who hold no regard for anyone but themselves. Strong theme, there. If I have an overarching issue with the film it is that its more electrifying segments wax & wane with some slower, banal stretches.
There's some great, moody cinematography by Dante Spinotti, and an impressive supporting cast including Ashley Judd, Mykhelti Williamson, Ted Levine, Wes Studi, Dennis Haysbert & William Fichtner. But the film belongs to Pacino & DeNiro; playing men who seem to respect each other for their similarities, while also leading extremely different lives {one is dutiful, one is immoral} that may end up in bloodshed. They shine individually, and though they don't share much screen time together, their much ballyhooed, tension-filled meeting in the cafe + the final showdown provides the film's main appeal & emotional climax. 'Heat' is too long & not as original as it could have been -- but I love its icy cool manner, and it is just solid as a rock.
The gang led by McCauley includes Chris (Val Kilmer), Michael (Tom Sizemore), Trejo (Danny Trejo) & new recruit, Waingro (Kevin Gage). In hot pursuit of $1.6 mill, they assault an armored truck, blow the door off, grab the guards & flee. One problem: Waingro gets jumpy & kills a guard. McCauley tries to violently kill-off Waingro for jeopardizing the operation, but Waingro is able to escape. Soon thereafter, homicide detective, Lt. Vincent Hanna (Pacino) arrives to investigate this gory robbery. The workhorse cop is not as successful at home as he is on the job, as his passion & ardor for his work is threatening to break-up his 3rd marriage to wife, Justine (Diane Venora); her daughter (young Natalie Portman) indirectly suffers, as well.
But through his tireless work - and a lucky break - Hanna is able to track down a gang member connected with McCauley. This leads the 2 men, both similar in nature & equally cunning, to in due course confront each other face to face over a cup of coffee at an innocuous cafe. But Hanna lets McCauley abscond from a trap, & that allows McCauley to attempt one final - and daring - bank robbery that would allow him to retire to an easy way of life down in the Caribbean with young girlfriend, Eady (Amy Brenneman) - who is blissfully unaware of his illegal activities. Drama ensues.
This lonnngggg, but very involving crime saga is directed with a propulsive sense of pace, cool style & verve by Michael Mann. There is a lowlife criminal atmosphere of these proceedings that is enticing to watch; a feel for the mean streets, with some great heist sequences & extraordinary action set pieces. Mann, who typically only directs, also happened to write the script for this film in its entirety; based on the real-life clash btwn. McCauley & a Chicago cop, Chuck Adamson. 'Heat' goes to show how many soulless people there are out there, who hold no regard for anyone but themselves. Strong theme, there. If I have an overarching issue with the film it is that its more electrifying segments wax & wane with some slower, banal stretches.
There's some great, moody cinematography by Dante Spinotti, and an impressive supporting cast including Ashley Judd, Mykhelti Williamson, Ted Levine, Wes Studi, Dennis Haysbert & William Fichtner. But the film belongs to Pacino & DeNiro; playing men who seem to respect each other for their similarities, while also leading extremely different lives {one is dutiful, one is immoral} that may end up in bloodshed. They shine individually, and though they don't share much screen time together, their much ballyhooed, tension-filled meeting in the cafe + the final showdown provides the film's main appeal & emotional climax. 'Heat' is too long & not as original as it could have been -- but I love its icy cool manner, and it is just solid as a rock.