Heat

You don't live with me, you live among the remains of dead people.

Heat is written and directed by Michael Mann. It stars Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Ashley Judd, Amy Brennerman and Danny Trejo. Music is scored by Elliot Goldenthal and cinematography by Dante Spinoti.

Big time thief Neil McCauley (DeNiro) is after one last major score before he retires, but hot on his tail is Vincent Hannah (Pacino), a cop equally and methodically as driven as he is himself.

In the build up to Heat's release, much was made of it being the first on screen pairing of DeNiro and Pacino. A mouthwatering prospect for sure, it proved to be worth the wait and unfolds as a lesson in restrained acting with t...

Partly I'm disappointed in myself for taking so long to watch Heat because it's such a massive influence on one of the best movies ever (The Dark Knight), and one my favourite video games ever (Payday: The Heist).

Mostly though, I'm disappointed in myself for taking so long to watch Heat because I've denied myself for so long the privilege of having seen such a great fucking crime movie.

Final rating: - An all round good movie with a little something extra.

Heat earns its way onto top 25 lists for heist films and 90s action, but its faults keep it low in the rankings.

Heat gets so many things right. The stellar cast continues to surprise me with all the different names and faces I recognize when I watch it. The action is exceptional, especially considering this film is over 25 years old. The shoot-out in the middle of the movie is riveting, raw, and powerfully hard-hitting. The story made it impossible to guess exactly how it would turn out - was the cop going to get his man, or was the mastermind thief going to get away? Heat belongs on best heist and action movie lists but not nearly as high as many lists rank it. Heat carries some annoying faults. The ending of the film is abrupt and...

Heat directed by Michael Mann is a crime epic based on the exploits of real life criminal Neil McCauley.  Although mostly fictional, with the events and character having real life basis, Mann is able to elevate this crime drama above other films in a similar genre. 

Robert De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a knowledgable experienced criminal whos skill set includes playing cat and mouse with the police. After a robbery ends in a street gunfight McCauley and his gang manage to evade the police. Lieutenant Vincent Hanna ( Al Pacino ) determined to catch the criminals, skilfully assesses the crime scene and immediately Heat begins to draw parallels between the two lead characters. 

Filmed entirely on location Heat is a gripping, tension fill...

A good film, with great actors at the highest level, a little different from other action films and that deserves to be revisited these days.

If there's one thing that can be a good pastime, it's an action movie, with ingenious and fearless thieves and police willing to do anything to arrest them. That's what this movie is, basically, and although we've seen many movies with this recipe, neither does it become tiresome, nor do the movies become boring or less interesting.

Michael Mann is today a director with solid action credits, thanks in part to this film, but also to The Insider and Collateral. Before this film, he had shown extraordinary competence in directing Last of the Mohicans, a film that I consider an example for harmo...