Heat-1995

Director Michael Mann

Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro

Scott’s Review #1,228

Reviewed February 12, 2022

Grade: A-

Fans of the popular 1980s NBC television series, Miami Vice, will recall that Michael Mann was the Executive Producer of the show during its run.

He has a distinctive crime-thriller style that pairs perfectly with Heat, a sizzling 1995 offering starring two film greats, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

The fact that the pair do not appear together on screen too often can be forgiven because, when they do, the stars align, and the power of quiet scenes cannot be outdone. I savored the moment when they first appeared together.

Quality over quantity.

De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a lifelong criminal who is trying to handle the damage caused by one of his men while also planning one last big heist before retiring to parts unknown.

He meets a lovely young Los Angeles-based artist, played by Amy Brenneman, in a diner, and the two plan to relocate abroad.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) is a seasoned officer attempting to track down McCauley and his cohort while dealing with the chaos in his own life, including his wife’s (Diane Venora) infidelity and his stepdaughter’s (Natalie Portman) unhinged mental health.

McCauley and Hanna discover mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other’s plans. The two characters become doppelgangers of one another.

The situation culminates in a cat-and-mouse chase on the tarmac at LAX airport.

To say that Heat is a by-the-numbers 1990s thriller is a fair assessment, although it’s way better than that classification, and it’s of that genre.

For starters, the acting is superior, and obviously, De Niro and Pacino bring a level of professionalism to the film in the lead roles.

My favorite scene is not the one you’d most expect me to say, but rather a quiet and powerful chit-chat in a small coffee shop. They are rivals, having lived opposite lives, yet their troubled lives mirror each other.

Without a doubt, Hanna wants to bring McCauley to justice, yet he admires him and sees parts of himself in him. The feeling is mutual, and the two actors relay this revelation without actually speaking the words.

Viewers immerse themselves in the characters, pivoting from this powerful scene.

There are a ton of characters in Heat, but each one feels like they have much to offer.

Juicy storylines are introduced but never forgotten, even if not part of the main canvas. Hanna’s wife and stepdaughter play a central role in the final act, even though they appear only in the first chapter.

In supporting roles, Val Kilmer and Ashley Judd share beautiful chemistry and a melancholy storyline as a damaged couple trying to survive surrounded by a life of crime.

At two hours and fifty-two minutes, there is plenty of time for each character to make their mark.

I love the rich character development that Heat offers, but sometimes it’s admittedly tough to keep track of the characters’ motivations and how they tie into the main action.

Mann’s style is all over the place, and even the musical score brought me back to the episodic song intervals that Miami Vice created.

The moody, dark atmosphere of dingy, crime-infested Los Angeles is perfectly set against glossy, glamorous high-rise and sprawling estate scenes. The bright and luminous city skyline is a feast for the eyes.

The cop/criminal dynamic is the main draw as Heat flexes its masculine muscles scene after scene. A bloody bank heist gone wrong at the beginning of the film cements what Mann is trying to create here.

A guy’s film with enough juice to hook the introspective film viewer, too.

Not remembered as well as it probably should be, Heat holds up surprisingly well when compared to similar but hokey 1990s action films like Lethal Weapon and the Die Hard films.

Though there’s not a whole lot new in Heat (1995), rich writing and powerful acting win out every time, and, of course, Pacino and De Niro are worth the price of admission.