Enthralling...and extremely overrated

Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2007)

OK...I like this movie. I like Michael Mann in general. But the idea that "Heat" is some kind of definitive crime movie is pretty silly.
It does get lots of points for being a very long movie that never really drags at all. But it would still have been much better with a half-hour (or more) cut out of it. The film school touches intended to produce an "epic" nearly all misfire; the VERY strong supporting cast somehow keeps several of them from turning into major LOL moments.
The performances of the leads are wildly overrated by IMDb members. Pacino mugs his way through this, as he does most of his films since "Scarface." DeNiro is much better but nowhere near the top of his game. People always praise Val Kilmer for "keeping up" with these icon guys, but the reality is they aren't running all that hard to begin with. That said, Kilmer is good here, as is the entire supporting cast.
Crime movies don't have to be realistic to be great (see "Sin City") but it's incredible how many people think Michael Mann makes "realistic" action films. Yeah, he's obsessed with technical details and gets them right more often than most directors. But there's just about nothing realistic about "Heat" or "Collateral"; they both exist in a make-believe LA populated by make-believe good guys and bad guys. Frankly, if you think Mann's crime films are true-to-life, then everything you know comes from movies and TV and headline news.
Don't get me wrong here; I highly recommend you see "Heat" and "Collateral" - they are both extremely well-made and pretty damn riveting. But if seeing either one is some kind of life high point for you, I'd respectfully suggest you need to get a new life.