 |
Vincent Hanna: Al Pacino Neil McCauley: Robert De Niro Chris Shiherlis: Val Kilmer Charlene Shiherlis: Ashley Judd Nate: Jon Voight Michael Cheritto: Tom Sizemore Lauren: Natalie Portman Written and Directed by Michael Mann. Running time: 174 minutes. Rated R (for violence and language). |
Heat, directed by Michael Mann, is about the natural bond that criminals have with their adversaries, the police. They both need each other to function, as they both exist in a different world from the rest of us. The two foes are cut off from the rest of society, where they have their own set of rules and language. They are enemies, but in a sense they are more intimate, more involved with each other, than say their spouses.
Heat displays that relationship by focusing on two characters, who are the best in their field. One man is a LAPD detective named Hanna (Al Pacino) and the other is a master thief named McCauley (Robert De Niro). Their personalities are opposite, as Hanna is an eccentric and loud mouth. Hanna has no trouble expressing his points, as he bangs on the table or yells at the top of his lungs to get his message across. Meanwhile, McCauley takes the subtle approach. He is silent and keeps his emotions bottled. He speaks only when necessary and keeps the conversations short and concise. If you look deeper into these two men, you can see that these two professionals are mirror images of each other, as their work drives them and they both love doing it. As the film begins to develop, the two men form a bond of respect for each other and even friendship.
Hanna is a veteran detective in the LAPD, as he lives for his job ("All I am is what I'm going after"). He seems to be on call twenty-four hours a day, which is assumed when you live in the "City of Lost Angels." He is a hunter and his prey today is a formidable opponent, who has made a living out smarting guys like him. Hanna's opponent is McCauley, who is smart, wary and seems impossible to trap. He is a patient man and never loses a step against his opponent. Hanna is no slouch himself, as he has experience taking down professionals like McCauley.
These two guys are always in control, except when it comes to their social life. All of the characters in Heat have wives and in some cases, children, except for McCauley, who will soon meet someone. Hanna is working on his third marriage, with a woman named Justice (Diane Venora), who is bitter because his job obsesses him: "You live among the remains of dead people." Their marriage is on the down slope, as Hanna usually comes home late at night, when the dinner has long been frozen. We see that both of them are getting annoyed with each other, as they fight more often than they make up. Hanna also has to keep an eye on Justice's daughter, Lauren (Natalie Portman), who is suicidal and depressed with her life.
The same situation can be said for one of McCauley's crewmembers, Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer). He is married to Charlene Shiherlis (Ashley Judd), who doesn't enjoy the risks he takes with his job and the money that he steals; he is a big gambler. We later find out that she has run off to another man. We are not sure whether the mystery man appeases Charlene's needs or she is using the man for spite. We sense that Chris knows, but he doesn't care ("For me the sun rises and sets with her, man"). It is fascinating that in their work, they are clean and professionals, but when it comes to their love life, they have no clue how to act.
McCauley on the other hand always knows the risk that comes with his profession. He knows that a relationship can put him into jeopardy and that is a risk he is not going to take. His policy is simple: "Do not have any attachments, do not have anything in your life you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you spot the heat around the corner." Unfortunately, he doesn't heed his own advice, as loneliness also haunts him. What good is a fortune if you have no one to share it with? He meets someone in a restaurant and her name is Eady (Amy Brenneman), who has taken an interest in McCauley. She begins to ask him a lot of probing questions that McCauley finds uncomfortable. When McCauley asks why he is getting all this attention, Eady tells him she is lonely. McCauley replies "I am not lonely." We know he is lying, as his profession can't allow anyone to get close to him. Besides, we can tell he doesn't have a lot of company at his home, since it is devoid of any furnishings.
The film then begins to take on the subject of one of Hollywood's simple old conflict between the man and his work, and the woman, who wants him to stay at home and forget about his job. The men in Heat are addicted to their lifestyle. They can't imagine doing anything else, as it is all they know. McCauley's crew has a massed a sizeable fortune, where they can all retire, but when another job presents itself, they cannot resist: "The action is the juice."
The film is slick and stylish, as the movie knows it environment. The film is set on location in LA, right down to the bank they hit. We sense how empty and haunting the city can be, behind all of the glamorous neon signs it houses. Its style can be attributed to Mann, who was the creator of "Miami Vice", a television show about cops and criminals, and the film's two principal actors. We have seen Pacino and De Niro play both sides of the law so many times that we can't seem them as anyone else. At this time in their career, De Niro and Pacino, have spent more time playing cops and thieves than most cops and thieves have.
As we move in-between the action and the cat and mouse game, we feel that their relationship growing. In a pivotal scene Hanna asks McCauley if he'll go have a cup of coffee. McCauley likes the idea and agrees to come. The two men sit across from each other at a Formica table and talk as if they were old friends. The conversation is casual, as they explore some topics of their lifestyle. When Hanna suggests that McCauley change them, McCauley replies, "You see me doing thrill-seeking holdups with a 'Born to Lose' tattoo on my chest?" No, replies Hanna, he doesn't. The conversation comes to an end when McCauley says "I do what I do best, I take scores. You do what you do best, try to stop guys like me." In that sentence, we see what their relationship is. They are two men in a contest with each other, almost like a sibling rivalry. Who is the smarter man? Who is the better man?
In the end, Heat basically boils down to two simple groups, good and bad, and their quest to succeed. Unlike other films, Heat does not glamorize both sides, as you don't know who to root for. Both groups live a hard life as death and violence surrounds them. Sometimes we find McCauley's group is as fascinating as Hanna's group and at some points we are even pulling for them. McCauley's group reminds me of the western posse in such films as The Wild Bunch and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Role models they were not, but you loved hanging around them. I feel the same way with McCauley's posse. Everyone knows their job and they execute with perfection. They have patience, experience and the intelligence to pull off any heist. It is a pleasure to see them work.
The movie intercuts these introspective scenes with incredible sequences of heists and shoot-outs. Each heist is meticulously planned to perfection, as Hanna tries to guess McCauley's next move. It is a tougher job for McCauley, as one bad move puts him back into the slammer, while Hanna can afford to make as many mistakes as he pleases.
Michael Mann is one of my favorite writer/director in Hollywood. He has directed these kind of crime films before like Manhunter and Thief. His films are methodical, and seem to show the dreary side of life. His characters are dark, empty and mysterious, maybe because their environment is the same way. Heat is his best to date, as he never hints who he favors in this game to the very end. The outcome can go either way, such as life. Grade: A
MAIN MENU
MOVIES A-F
MOVIES G-M
MOVIES N-T
MOVIES U-Z