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1995
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HEAT
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STARRING:ROBERT
DE NIRO,AL PACINO,VAL KILMER,TOM SIZEMORE, ASHLEY JUDD,DIANE VENORA,AMY
BRENNEMAN,JON VOIGHT,MYKELTI WILLIAMSON,WES STUDI,TED LEVINE,KEVIN
GAGE,DENNIS HAYSBERT, DANNY TREJO,HANK AZARIA, WILLIAM FICHTNER,NATALIE
PORTMAN
WRITTEN
BY MICHAEL MANN
PRODUCED
BY ART LINSON & MICHAEL MANN
DIRECTED
BY MICHAEL MANN
GENRE:CRIME/DRAMA/ACTION
RATED:AUSTRALIA:MA/UK:15/USA:R
RUNNING
TIME:171 MIN
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In
1995, writer/director Michael Mann brought together two of the silver
screens most influential, versatile and celebrated actors in the crime
epic Heat. Robert De Niro stars as Neil McCauley, an ice cold,
disciplined master thief who grabs the attention of dogged, bombastic,
hot dog police detective Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) after a carefully
planned armoured car robbery involving the bearer bonds of a shoddy
corporate millionaire (William Fichtner) turns into an un-necessary
blood bath. With the determined Hanna on his back, McCauley must carefully
plan his next score while also having to contend with the threat of
a rogue, former member of his crew named Waingro (Kevin Gage) and
the affections of lonely book store clerk Eady (Amy Brenneman). Meanwhile
Hanna's marriage to Justine (Diane Venora) is falling apart due to
the commitment to his job; an ex-con named Don (Dennis Haysbert) struggles
with life on the straight and narrow; and the gambling addiction of
McCauley's right hand man, Chris (Val Kilmer) leads his wife Charlene
(Ashley Judd) to have an affair with shoddy business man Marciano
(Hank Azaria).
The first time Mann brought these characters to life was with the
made for TV movie L.A. Takedown which debuted in 1989.
However, this time out Mann had the budget and the actors (both Hanna
and McCauley were written with both Pacino and De Niro in mind) to
bring his vision to the big screen. With Heat, Mann has reached
his creative peak turning in a superbly written, exceptionally directed,
unconventional crime saga about the relationship between cop and criminal
and the people who shape their lives. His famed attention to detail
can be seen in every shot with thanks to Dante Spinotti's impeccable
cinematography. Elliot Goldenthall has composed an emotive score (while
credit should also be given to Moby for his contributions), the sound,
editing, and set design (as highlighted in the excellent shoot out
between the cops and crims in downtown L.A.) is outstanding, and the
supporting cast (with special mention to Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd,
Diane Venora and Jon Voight) all give great performances.
Of course the real highlights (and drawcard) belong to the excellent
performances by De Niro and Pacino. Playing roles that are tailor
made to their strengths, both actors give exceptionally well crafted
yet drastically different interpretations of two similar men on opposite
sides of the law.
McCauley is an introvert, who keeps his cards close to his chest and
is inconspicuous in his sense of dress, living quarters and overall
lifestyle. He also displays obvious sociopathic tendencies and is
extremely proficient and efficient in his work. Living by the creed
not to "get attached to anything you are not willing to walk
out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner",
McCauley is devoid of any close relationships or business that could
jeopardise his lifestyle. Yet his falling in love with Eady clashes
against his disciplined nature which makes for intriguing viewing.
Because of this, McCauley comes across as the more interesting and
sympathetic of the two main characters with De Niro putting in a first
rate performance in the process.
With De Niro providing the depth, Pacino supplies the momentum in
spades. A flashy extrovert who is tenacious in his work, Hanna is
constantly on the street looking for leads, grilling his sources into
submission with his wild mood swings. His obsession towards his job
causes friction within his marriage (his third), while his obvious
affection towards his disturbed step daughter (played by Natalie Portman)
comes second place to his job. A back story created by Mann and Pacino
had Hanna using cocaine on the side, and supposedly the scenes were
apart of earlier written drafts. I feel that discarding those scenes
are an injustice to the character, since it would have explained Hanna's
ecstatic behaviour and thus Pacino's acting that many have proclaimed
to be 'over the top' which I find to be a ridiculous assertion.
In a landmark scene where both master thesps share the screen for
the first time, Hanna and McCauley share their opinions on their work
and personnel lives while sizing each other up over a cup of coffee.
It is an understated yet brilliant scene which shows what drives both
men and how despite the respect they have for each other that neither
one will hesitate killing the other when the moment comes.
Pacno and De Niro have both played their fair share of cops and criminals
before, but rarely do we see either of them carry out these types
of roles with material as good as this be it on their own let alone
together. That on its own makes Heat a great film. |
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