Heat
1995 Directed by Michael Mann
Synopsis
A Los Angeles crime saga.
Obsessive master thief McCauley leads a crack crew on various military-style heists across L.A. while equally obsessive detective Hanna tracks him. Each man recognizes and respects the other's ability and dedication, even as they express the willingness to kill each other, if necessary.
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74/100
"Three hours was the wrong running time for this movie," began my negative "review" 18 years ago, just a few months after I launched my site. "It should have run either 90 minutes, or seven hours." That I somehow failed to appreciate the rampant awesomeness on display here boggles the mind; for all his idiocy, though, younger me did have a point, if not yet an available countermodel. Today, Heat looks like a hugely condensed season of first-rate television, with the sprawling narrative and multi-character arcs we now associate with that medium. (See also: Contagion.) Bump it up to 10 or 12 hours on HBO and the material that currently feels thin—Kilmer and Judd's rocky marriage, Portman's depression, Fichtner's…
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”What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty telephone…Cause there is a dead man on the other end of this fuckin' line.”
I heard that quote when I watched Cashback the other night. “I love that fookin film! You should see it on my plasma! Boom boom ratta tatta blam blam!” a character exclaimed. And this gave me the craziest idea… I went out and picked up Heat on Blu-Ray today and decided to watch it for the first time since owning a Blu-Ray player. I had previously only seen it on VHS and DVD…
I poured myself a drink, opened up the window to feel the nice spring air, cranked up my tv, and let the sounds of…
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Arguably Michael Mann's best film. An all action crime thriller with some of the best shoot-out's in recent cinema history,this bristles with an edgy script and stylised violence the Michael Mann way.
Robert De Niro is the career criminal and expert professional thief who leads a crack team of bank and armoured car robbers. On his trail is obsessive cop Pacino who appreciates the skill and tenacity of De Niro's crew. A grudging admiration develops as the criminals and the LAPD attempt to outsmart each other as a cat and mouse game of deception develops.
Tom Sizemore, a brilliant Val Kilmer and Danny Trejo round out De Niro's team. From the opening robbery to the almost operatic bank heist this… -
One of the greats. It's been a number of years since I first saw this, so thankfully I had forgotten most of the plot (aside from some of the locations and visual setups) and could come at it again with almost-fresh eyes. A superb cast, incredible shoot-outs, beautiful visual composition, and the right amount of tension to carry it through the full 170 minutes. Outside of the usual giveaways (car phones with cords, old CRT monitors, large mobile phones) this is a cops & robbers tale that could easily have been made in present day — and I certainly would LOVE to have seen this on the big screen.
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Part of the December Project: Film #49
To call Michael Mann's Heat just an action film is to discredit everything it does in between those grand scenes of chaotic shootouts. Heat is about men whose jobs end up interfering with their personal lives, and how it all is a constant ruin until it finally ends.
Notably, Heat is also an epic game of chess in the form of a crime thriller. There are the Kings, Vincent Hanna (Pacino) and Neil MacCaulay. They each have their queens in the form of their love interests, and their knights, bishops, and pawns.
Neil makes the first move before Hanna ever realizes he's started playing the game. But Hanna has never let himself lose…
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One of my all time favorites. As epic as films get.
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Classic! One of the BEST films I have ever watched. Defo watch this when you get the chance....it is just pure awesomeness. Al is rilliant, De Niro is a boss and the rest are awesome!
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i. love. this goddamn movie.
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A cat-and-mouse game between a big-shot L.A.P.D. investigator and a disciplined criminal mastermind takes on epic proportions in Michael Mann's crime saga Heat. The film is huge in scope, boasting a large ensemble of characters and a number of story lines, but Heat's grand ambitions are kept under control by its remarkable focus on masculinity and existentialism. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are perfectly cast as the film's leads. Finally seeing these two screen legends on film together - they both appeared in The Godfather Part II but in separate timelines - is electrifying and gives weight to their characters' duel. But the real star of this film is arguably the City Of Angels itself. Mann's brilliant location work coupled with the neo-noir photography makes Los Angeles and its many sides a central figure in Heat.
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Just so fucking good.
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74/100
"Three hours was the wrong running time for this movie," began my negative "review" 18 years ago, just a few months after I launched my site. "It should have run either 90 minutes, or seven hours." That I somehow failed to appreciate the rampant awesomeness on display here boggles the mind; for all his idiocy, though, younger me did have a point, if not yet an available countermodel. Today, Heat looks like a hugely condensed season of first-rate television, with the sprawling narrative and multi-character arcs we now associate with that medium. (See also: Contagion.) Bump it up to 10 or 12 hours on HBO and the material that currently feels thin—Kilmer and Judd's rocky marriage, Portman's depression, Fichtner's…
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Master piece... De Niro and Pacino in is best.
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a movie that men should see before die
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Massive cops & robbers opus with an astounding cast.
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after several attempts i managed to watch the whole movie which i find both boring and exciting, there is something off and weird in this film.
the movie starts great, the heist is outstanding, spectacular but after that this film falls while trying to juggle through too many story lines that are more dialogue driven than anything else.
the movie did surprise however with its visuals; the director has a good, maybe great, eye when selecting locations and sets, and that strange, eclectic vision is also reflected in the soundtrack.
however, best in show are both DENIRO and PACINO, playing friendly enemies, and delivering perhaps one of their last outstanding performances.
it is weird but when you remember this film you recall those amazingly well edited action scenes but the movie does have a weird pace.