Very hot

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2005)

A classic hip thriller surrounding a world where crime lords run the show and cops can only try and keep up with the pace. "walk out in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner" That's how the game is played. Criminals have to stay ahead of the heat and plan in advance to get away with whatever they can. First they strike an armoured van, then a bank heist. They do whatever they can, they are hi-tech and infinitely smart. Robert DeNiro is Niel McCauley the leader of a motley crew of criminals who think they're better than the law, and smarter than the cops. As the film goes on they get into bigger things, the heat gets turned up and they even begin to stalk the cops, not have the cops stalking them. But every game must have an ending, and even though DeNiro is on the verge of getting out, he can't help himself and so he begrudgingly gets back in on the business with the intention of killing a piece of scum killer who used to be a part of his gang. Al Pacino is Vincent Hanna a top notch cop who wants nothing more than to bang up his nemesis, but cannot find enough evidence to support his case. But as DeNiro gets back in he takes an even bigger risk, that exposes him to the full force of the heat, and Pacino is ready for a final showdown. A showdown of courage, guns, and willpower. Honestly this film is brilliant, tense and taut and not form the faint hearted. It is nonetheless fantastic and even Val Kilmer's thrown in to add to the bang. Michael Mann shows flair in probably his best ever film. It is a long three hour epic, but it is also a great film to watch over and over again.