Heat

• Written and Directed by Michael Mann
• December 15, 1995
• Based on the 1989 film L.A. Takedown by Michael Mann

The struggle between an LAPD detective and a career criminal as well as its effect on their professional relationships and personal lives.

I admit to have taken far too long to see Heat. Thirty years is a bit much. I also admit that the main reason I wanted to see this movie now is that Michael Mann directed it. If nothing else he knows how to do something with style. He can imbue any movie or TV show he’s connected to with a level of cool. And this certainly is dripping with cool. Quite possibly one of the coolest and meatiest heist films I have ever seen. 

We have one hell of a cast here. Top-tier talent in a never boring script. And at nearly 3 hours this movie takes its time so to accomplish that is impressive. And that’s a good thing. Characters are developed while plot elements are slowly laid out. Life problems for the assorted individuals are added along with complications to the initial situation.

LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and professional criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) are parallels yet not too different. They are both essentially married to their work. Their identity is tied up in what they do. They cannot be anything else. And both want a life beyond work even if they cannot admit it to themselves. The difference being that Hanna is trying to find the balance while McCauley wants his cake without repercussions.

Hanna and McCauley have respect for each other. They are two enemies, but they respect one another. It’s an honorable battle between the pair. Not only does this make for a more interesting film, but it also makes this less about good versus evil and more about two opposing forces clashing.

Something I must bring up. There’s a scene here where Hanna finds that his wife is cheating on him. Rather than getting angry over extramarital fornication Hanna goes off on the guy about watching his TV. Not boinking his wife. He then takes the TV and at an intersection destroys it. A similar scene with a similar character in a similar situation was done in Season One of the Michael Mann produced show Crime Story. I only picked up on this because I watched that particular episode just after watching Heat. I’m curious if that was some kind of signature of Mann at the time. Anywho…

If there’s an underlying theme in the whole of Heat, it’s of the choices that we need to make. We must decide how our lives turn out. Hanna and McCauley as well as other characters both must decide how their lives will be. At several points there is an offramp to avoid bad ends. Do you take them?

Heat is such a meaty film. There is so much in it. So much story done with a sizable cast. Just about everybody and everything plays an important role in the plot even if you don’t realize it at first. And the amazing part is it’s all pulled together by the end of the movie. There’s nothing really left dangling. Meaning at around three hours there’s an economy a storytelling that normally doesn’t occur in three-hour films. Nothing is there just to be there. Nothing is there to justify the presence of a particular actor. Every line and every scene please an important part in the overall storytelling. And is done with a panache that few directors have.

There is so much in this movie to discuss that picking just one or two things to focus on is tough. But I guess I will speak on what I appreciate the most which is that there is no mistaking what you get here for anything by anybody else. There is a distinct feel and style in this and helps this movie stand apart from anything else from that time or since. And it’s a style perfectly suited for Al Pacino and Robert De Niro and even Val Kilmer who were all in their talent prime when this movie came out.

Heat is certainly worthy of any praise it gets. Well-acted, well scripted, and well directed. It’s filled with style and drama. And once you start you cannot stop watching. Highly recommend!