'95 - Year Of The Mann

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2006)

Here's another gem I've only just got around to watch, and its pretty much as near to a masterpiece as a film can get.
For those of you who don't know what Heat is about, it follows Lt Vinncent Hanna (Pacino) trying to track down and convict a group of cons, who are terrorising LA, headed by Neil McCauley (Deniro). Its supported by an all-star cast (Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, Natalie Portman ...) and is directed by Michael Mann.
Due to Mann's style, the LA surroundings and photography are fully utilised, creating a visual backdrop second to none, and not just serving as pleasant on the eye but also plot devices throughout.
Sure it's a cop flick, but more than being about the cat and mouse antics of the cat and mouse style story, it is an explicit snapshot of human nature and choice, it is a compact summary of what Mann clearly views as the mechanics of everyday occurrences placed under extreme stress. The subplots to each character is complex and twisted with each is a powerful subtext, which is not fully revealed till the last shot has been fired in the closing scene.
Simply stated, this film is genius. Managing to manor around the simplicity plot holes of the 'cop' genre, Mann has created a stunning canvas of human life and emotion second to known, which is kind to the eye yet persistently juxtaposing the viewer's perspective.