Heat

“A Los Angeles Crime Saga.”

Not the most creative tagline ever, but it’s okay… I was shocked to realize Heat came out back in ‘95. It doesn’t feel like that long ago… Probably because we’ve seen it so many times. We may have seen this in the theater 2-3 times alone… [yes, it was that good]…

Heat follows the lives of two men on opposite sides of the coin. One is Detective Lt. Vincent Hanna [Al Pacino], the other the ex-con and expert thief, Neil McCauley [Robert De Niro] who heads up a tight crew that’s worked together for years: the explosives expert/gambling junkie, Chris Shiherlis [Val Kilmer], and the ex-con-turned-family man, Michael Chiretto [Tom Sizemore]. McCauley lives life as a loner and introvert as he stands by his mentor’s philosphy, “Do not allow anything into your life which you cannot walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you spot the heat around the corner.” Hanna lives for his job and we watch his 3rd marriage crumble because of it. Aside from their chosen occupations, Hanna and McCauley aren’t that dissimilar, which becomes evident as we watch the cat and mouse chase unfold…

As with many films by Michael Mann, a lot is implied via visuals – some scenes don’t have a lot of dialog. I know some people don’t like this and can get bored from it, but if you have a normal attention span, you’ll be fine. You almost get a ‘fly on the wall’ feeling because of it. This movie is not splashy, and oftentimes the soundtrack is minimal, giving it a more realistic feel. You also spend a lot of time with the characters which only adds to the thrill of the movie’s climax, the aftermath and how it affects not only the guys directly involved, but their families as well. 

The acting is terrific, including a huge supporting cast – a young Natalie Portman as Hanna’s neurotic step daughter, Diane Venora as Hanna’s unhappy wife, Ashley Judd as Shiherlis’ wife, Amy Brenneman as McCauley’s girlfriend, John Voight as the crew’s recruiter… there are too many to list [see tags below for more]. 

It’s not a feel-good movie, but if you love a good crime drama with some action and suspense thrown in [and an epic gunfight], this movie is a solid 4 out of 5. Most of the movie is pretty heavy, but there are some funny parts involving Al Pacino and a snitch or two. He’s over the top and it’s awesome… 

Add’l Info: Released: Dec 15, 1995 • Runtime: 171 minutes • Rated R for violence and language