Mann O Mann

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2014)

If I was told that I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life then Heat would be that movie.For me its an easy answer to a hard question. Why?I hear you ask and these next few paragraphs will answer that question and hopefully entice you to watch this masterpiece if you haven't seen it before.
Thiefs want to steal,cops want to catch thiefs,thiefs plan major heist to end their careers of crime,cops investigate thieves for information on upcoming heists and any other crimes that could put thieves in prison,cops and thieves have showdown during or after heist. That there is the formula used for 99.9% of heist movies its a proved formula that works so no need to change it right?Right!!...Heat follows the same heist structure as those before it so you will know what to expect of the plot and thats where comparisons to movies before and after it end.Now if you're expecting me to talk about the brilliant downtown shootout when Pacino interrupts Deniros last heist which is possibly one of the best gunfights to grace the screen,you're wrong.The actions superb and one reason its in a league of its own and is obvious from the first viewing,what made me decide to move Heat from my 4th favourite movie to #1 spot didn't hit me until my 20th+ afternoon with Waingro. Unlike other cops and robbers movies that grab you firmly by the wrist and drag you around its world,leaving you with the group of characters they want to succeed and want you to feel the same,not letting go until the credits roll but not in the world of Heat.Michael Mann lets us the viewer choose who we want to succeed over the next 3 hours not who he wants us to root andis achieved with a script that takes us into the world of each of thr lead characters,where we get to know and understand them,see them develop for good or bad which is made easy with a script that doesn't favor one lead more than another.Either way the end result of Heat will not have you feeling disappointed or victorious as you put the DVD back on the shelf,that will happen in the upcoming hours when you realise that you had chosen a side without really knowing so because the movie gave you freedom to do so.Well thats what happened to me anyway.
Michael Mann achieved the perfect filmmaking trifecta in 1995,watertight script,sublime directing and a cast committed to bring each character from his pages to life with even the minimalist role played to perfection.An ensemble cast of ACTORS that from memory is yet to be rivalled and I hope no one mutters the Oceans 11 franchise as my retort to that is the use of capitals for the word actors. You the Mann