Best crime drama since Bullitt.

Rating: Null/10 (6 April 2003)

You've got to hand it to Michael Mann. Anyone who can make LA look as good as he does in Heat has got some aces up his sleeve. Throughout this movie LA appears the futuristic wonderland everyone seems to think it is-even the greasy spoons have something extra. The reason I mention this is after watching every Quentin Tarantino film and any other recent film taking place in LA, Heat makes Los Angeles an interesting place to watch.
But that's not the best part about this film.
The best part about this movie is that it is real. Let me say that again - it is REEEAAAALLL. Get it? No greenscreens where the heroes are diving down mountains ahead of avalanches and one guy carrying a .38 snubby can hit opponents blazing away with AK-47's. At all points you can see how the makers took pains to show the characters doing it just like the real bad guys would. That probably makes it difficult for the majority of movie-goers who are used to being force-fed process shots and can still allow themselves to be amazed when Bruce Willis dives out a 15-story window running faster than an explosion while still managing to land on an awning he didn't even know was there. It also makes all of us sigh a little more when we see Pearl Harbor being sold for $30 and a gem like Heat getting stuck in the $15 bargain basement section.
The reality of the movie makes for some slow moments but when the action gets rolling, you'll be glad you waited. Not only is it first-rate, you don't stand a chance of knowing what's going on without watching the quote-unquote slow parts. Give the movie a chance and it'll never make you sorry. Pacino and Deniro have a ball playing the lead men on opposite teams. It's clear that both are playing characters on opposite sides of the game that give and expect no quarter. Sizemore and Kilmer are excellent as supporting members of the bad guy crew. Ashley Judd and Diane Venora are also excellent as the unhappy love interests. Six major plots in this movie weave seamlessly and Mann knows how to move from one to the other to keep you riveted.
The music reminds you of Mann's days with Miami Vice; ultra-modern yet understated and elegant. The sound editing is appropriate; when you have a dozen different types of weapons all being fired simultaneously, you appreciate not having to listen yet again to a foleyed-in Hollywood "pow!" A full metric tonne of supporting actors all lend their little bits (Watch Hank Azaria as the mouthy Vegas paramour-Pacino has fun slapping him down to size). The ending does seem to a drag a little in my opinion-reminding us a little of the mexican standoff in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". After a while you're ready to scream "Shoot already!"
Heat is hands-down the best LA crime drama to come out in a long, long while and along with LA Confidential, stands to be one of the best of all time.