MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #36 - 'Heat' (1995)

5/5 Stars

In the 1990s, both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were at the top of their game. They were bonafide movie stars and big box office draws. That’s why it was a surprise that they had never gotten to share the screen together.

Sure, they both appeared in “The Godfather Part II”, but De Niro was playing a younger version of Don Vito Corleone and so it was impossible for him to share any screen time with Pacino. Enter director Michael Mann with a script he had been working on for over 15 years.

The idea for “Heat” came to Mann in 1979 but he didn’t want to compromise his script that was considered too lengthy at the time. So, Mann moved on to other projects such as the stellar crime drama “Thief” and the cult favorite, “Manhunter”. He also went on to be the show runner for a little series in the ‘80s called “Miami Vice”.

Vincent and his team survey a crime scene in 'Heat'!

The only time Mann did break down and use his major script for something else was for “L.A. Takedown”, a made-for-TV movie that was also considered a potential backdoor pilot for a new TV show. The movie is definitely a watered down version of the movie we would eventually get and, thankfully, it did not lead to a TV show.

Mann finally got to bring his script, and two big screen titans, to the big screen in 1995. The movie primarily follows a cop and the chief thief that he is trying to chase down. The cop is Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Pacino), a major homicide detective that leads a team that is tasked with bringing down the worst of the worst.

His target is Neil McCauley (De Niro) and his crew of thieves and murderers. This includes his right hand man Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) and Michael Cheritto (Tom Sizemore) and they are currently trying to plan a major bank robbery.

Robert De Niro plays thief Neil McCauley in 'Heat'!

This cat-and-mouse game runs for almost three hours, but the surprising thing is that you never feel the time going by. You are enthralled by the performances of the two main leads and their stories. McCauley actually wants to leave the life of a criminal behind. He has a rule that you never get involved with anything or anyone that you can’t walk away from if you feel the heat around the corner.

However, he can’t help but fall in love with a woman, Eady (Amy Brenneman), and he genuinely wants to escape with her after this last job. His team is also engaging, particularly Kilmer as Chris, a gambling addict who has a troubled marriage to his wife, Charlene (Ashley Judd), and a calm demeanor that hides a criminal that isn’t afraid to throw down if the situation arises.

Pacino’s Vincent is also a troubled character. His job has caused him to be estranged from his own wife, Justine (Dian Venora), and his step daughter Lauren (Natalie Portman). He’s also a character that could have been a villain if he had not become a cop instead and that’s why he’s so good at his job.

The movie’s drama is also heightened by tense and sometimes action packed scenes. The scene that sets everything in motion is a thrilling robbery of an armored car that leads to murder due to a temporary team member's own sadistic personality. Then there is another scene where McCauley and his team are about to rob a place, but McCauley catches wind that Vincent and his team are onto him and you wonder if he’ll bail on the job or go through with it and the tension is undeniable.

Pacino and De Niro face one another in the famous diner scene from 'Heat'!

Then, there is the famous bank robbery scene. It is one of the most explosive action sequences ever created and Mann makes you feel every shot fired as guns go off in every direction. I remember when I first watched this sequence with my dad, we rewound the tape and watched it again because we loved it so much.

Now, the movie was advertised as the first movie where Pacino and De Niro would truly share the screen together. Truth be told, due to the nature of the story, they have to stay apart for the most part. However, at one point in the movie when both men know that they are after each other, Vincent stops Neil and invites him out for a cup of coffee.

The diner scene is a tour de force of acting between two of the best to ever be in the acting game. You can feel that these two people have a respect for each other. Even so, you also feel the tension when both of them tell each other what they are willing to do should they have to throw down.

Michael Mann has directed several great films from “Thief” to “The Last of the Mohicans” to “Collateral”. He is a master of his craft and the crime thriller to be more specific. For me, “Heat” will always be his masterpiece as well as one of my favorite films featuring two of my favorite actors.

In short, “Heat” is one of the best films ever made.