| The Michael Mann film, �Heat� takes almost an entirely new look at cops and robbers. It�s more of a soul investigation of the people involved in crime and solving crime, and has a rather lethargic pace unlike other crime films like �The Usual Suspects and �Goodfellas�. It investigates the pain everyone goes through (even the cop) from doing his or her jobs. It doesn�t take a stand fimly on either end of the spectrum preaching from the mountaintops that being a criminal is evil, or that being a cop is good. It shows us their lives and we get to choose for ourselves, which is one of the film�s strengths. If you are expecting this to be a fast paced, explosive, heart pumping, action/action/action movie, you�re going to be disappointed. I don�t think many people that love those types of movies and don�t have a heart for any other genre would read my reviews though, so you shouldn�t have to worry. For those who enjoy well thought out character studies, then, surprisingly, this film might be for you. It all starts out like a regular thriller. There is a robbery and people are killed, and there is chaos. Then we are taken into Vincent Hanna�s (Al Pacino) home and we see him with his wife, Justice (Diane Venora), and then he gets up and leaves for his work, which takes up his entire life. It is his idol. He�s good at what he does and he couldn�t do anything else. Then comes along Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), and the life that he lives. There are vast contrasts between his life and Hanna�s but there are also subtle similarities. They are both grossly addicted to their job and both are the best at what they do compared to anyone else in the film. The characters in �Heat, such as Neil McCauley display more qualities of a character in Coppola�s �Godfather�, than a character in Scorsese�s �Goodfellas�. Neil isn�t a horrible man, and there is good in him, and he struggles with the good ideals and bad ideals inside of him (just like Christians struggle with the lies of Satan and the truth of Christ), but usually, the bad intentions take over. Vincent Hanna struggles with his job and his wife. He can�t seem to make sense out of which comes first. McCauley also has a woman in his life named Eady (Amy Brenneman), and struggles the same way Hanna does over which one to put first. The great characterization and character depth in the film are part of what make it worth watching. If Robert De Niro and Al Pacino got together in a film, and the acting was over the top or monition, or just plain bad, the world of filmgoers would begin to have seizures because of the great shock. Luckily, no one will have to worry about seizing in the film, because it should meet most of his or her expectations. It is almost impossible to look at these guys and think that they didn�t have any experience in this genre. This is Pacino and De Niro�s life! If one tried to name all of the crime movies both has starred in, it would be quite a challenge not to forget any. Pacino has starred in the most renowned crime film of them all, �The Godfather�, and De Niro played the early Vito Corleone in �The Godfather Part II�. Surprisingly, in all the films they�ve done about the same thing, neither have shown up together until �Heat�. So do the two work together as well as everyone has hoped? Oh, yeah. It�s drama at its finest. No one else could have been cast in their spots and it seems like no one could have played the two parts better. Al Pacino gives us an intricate, intriguing performance, where he shows the many sides of Vincent Hanna flawlessly, and gives a complex cop. Will it ever be as acclaimed as his �Scent of a Woman� performance? No, but it is of that caliber. De Niro portrays a romantic man, a troubled man, and a sharp, intelligent man. We haven�t seen De Niro in hardly any romantic roles but he pulls this one off with no trouble at all. One can actually feel chemistry between the two for the relatively short time that De Niro and Amy Brenneman are on screen. We all know that no one can play a criminal better than De Niro, and after seeing �Heat�, I still think no one can play a criminal better than De Niro. There is great acting, and a brilliant script at some points, but they movie is very slow at some points and could have been edited at a faster pace. Michael Mann�s object might have been to purposely give the film a slow pace, and it does need a slow pace for everything to work, but he overdid it a bit. There also moments where everything tries to be too emotional, and too in depth (if it is possible to be too in depth), and just get ridiculous. When the cop and Robber finally meet, part of their long awaited conversation is very interesting. The other part meanders around too much and disappoints a little because I wanted great dialog written for these two pros and I didn�t really get it. I just got Al Pacino telling De Niro about some absurd, emotional dream that he has. There are a couple great scenes of action in the film, and it is very heartpumping. The last sequence of the film, which is Hanna chasing after McCauley, is one of the best-executed chase scenes I�ve seen in a long time. The rest of the fast paced scenes are more criminal acts of violence, than action, but they do show us a truth about cops and robbers and how Cops have to see horrible images every day of their lives because it is their job. Vincent Hanna didn�t know how to live his life. He didn�t know how to organize what he spends his time doing and how to treat his wife. He didn�t ever think to go to God with this and ask him what to place first. If he did, we all know one answer God would say. �I am first. Everyone else is second.� This is how it should be for us also. If God is first in our life, then he can help us out and show us what order everything else should be in. Everything else just might fall into place if he governs our actions. �Heat� should not be missed by anyone that loves the crime genre, and the acting of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. It is just another great addition to their long history of great acting. |
| HEAT |
| United States, 1995 Running Length: 2:52 MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity, sexual situations) Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Wes Studi Director: Michael Mann Producers: Art Linson and Michael Mann Screenplay: Michael Mann Music: Elliot Goldenthal U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures |