Heat (Michael Mann, 1995, USA) March 29, 2007
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : 1990s, Drama, Film reviews, Action/Adventure, Thriller/Suspense, Crime , trackbackThere’s a sense while watching Michael Mann’s Heat that you’re watching two movies at the same time. The length – at nearly three hours – suggests just as much, but as the story unfolds we are thrust into the lives of two not-too dissimilar men. One, Al Pacino, is a cop driven by his job to stop criminals beating the system while his home life is left in near-tatters. The other, Robert De Niro, is a master criminal who cannot afford the constraints of a wife and child but who, as he nears his ‘retirement’, begins to think about a future that does not involve him being alone. It’s uniquely crafted by Michael Mann near the top of his game, who masterfully weaves a tale that is as much a character study as an action film.
It’s easy to dismiss Heat as an overlong crime thriller that doesn’t have enough action, but you’ve got to give Mann credit for focusing on the characters and not the easy-marketability of car chases and shootouts. The film’s pivotal bank robbery has so much more power because it is the only moment the director ‘lets loose’ as Pacino tracks De Niro and his gang through the city streets with guns blazing. What the film lacks in grandiose thrills it makes up for with near-perfect pacing and that is the main reason why the long running time doesn’t detract.
Reliably, Pacino and De Niro produce powerhouse performances and they are ably supported by the other standouts Val Kilmer and Jon Voight.
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