The best cops and robbers movie for decades

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2002)

It might be one of the oldest stories in the world, but it's never been put on film with as much care, intelligence and class as in Michael Mann's 'Heat'. Remaking his made for TV dress rehearsal, and given the money for proper actors, Mann has produced an extremely satisfying crime drama. He has also given us De Niro and Pacino in the same film for the first time in twenty years. Their performances are grounded in the history of their previous films and nicely balanced by the fact that their roles are interchangable and could have been played the other way around.

Aiming for a moment of cinematic posterity he has also allowed us the chance of seeing two great American actors of the last thirty years share the screen for the first time. A lesser movie would not have been able to keep them apart for 90 minutes, and when the scene arrives it is a complete indulgence that adds nothing to the plot. Who cares? Five minutes of verbal sparring between these two is worth anybody's entrace fee.
How could Mann top this? Easily. With a neverending, street length gun battle that matches any action scene that John Woo ever produced (and without the need for slow motion). In a cinema with surround sound you can hear bullets whistling by your head, and feel like you are right in the middle.
'Heat' also boasts a supporting cast that matches any ever assembled. And it gives them all enough screen time and strong enough characters to register strongly even in the smallest supporting roles. Sizemore, Voight, Levine, Studi and Williamson are all as reliable as we would expect. Kilmer is actually better. The female characters are also very well written. Natalie Portman (a long time before Star Wars), Amy Brenneman,and Ashley Judd all have interesting subplots that develop very convincingly. The underrated Dennis Haysbert (as a reforming ex-con) is also highly effective, and even as his character proceeds to his predictable relapse he creates a realistic and tangible pathos. I might even suggest that the film could have been extended to further develop some of the secondary storylines.
This movie is also stunningly photographed, credit must be given to Dante Spinotti for his incredible cinematography. The sleek, silver urban landscapes of LA almost become an extra character in the film.
Downsides. Well the donoument is slightly disappointing, ensuring that the movie ends less interestingly than it could. This is minor criticism, and shouldn't stop from watching the best cops and robbers movies for an awful long time.