A film of great humanity and skill

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2006)

After watching this film last night for the 4th or 5th time I now have to unpack one very old, yet true cliché. A great film never gets boring or repetitive. Maybe its because its so stylish, maybe because its so well acted, maybe because its so well written, maybe because its the perfect balance between escapism and reality that it makes it a pleasure to watch time and time again while always gaining something new from it.
Mann's talents are obvious. He masters atmosphere very very well. He can control the pace and mood of a film with much subtlety without seeming clumsy and unintelligent. De Niro's talents and Pacino's skills need not be discussed. However, while many films have a talented cast and set of people that does not always entail a great film. The basic ingredient is always the script. Here Mann excels to a height he almost eclipsed in 'The Insider' and 'Collateral' but never truly matched. Here its much more nuanced and focused on small details that really managed to convey the film's power better than just simply having big reputations attached to the billboard. 'Heat' succeeds were so many other crime thrillers don't even fail, they don't even accept the truths and depths that Mann reveals.
At first 'Heat' just seems to follow the traditional concept of cop vs robber formula. However, it differentiates itself from other crime films by depicting a humane, yet realistic criminal and a flawed, yet dedicated cop. Instead of forcing us to take sides Mann leaves it up to us to decide. The genius is that Mann dramatises it, he does not just simply articulate it and make it plain to see. Like life, its up to us to decide eventually what path we take, what course we choose is our responsibility. 'Heat' is easily Mann's best films and one of the very best it its genre and of the 90's altogether. It never becomes too tedious, or too fast, too flashy or too plain. Its humanity and objective look at characters is what places it above its competitors and never makes it simply just another crime cop thriller.
10/10