Diner Scene

Rating: 9/10 (5 May 2019)

This is Mann's best film and one of the greatest crime dramas to date. Excellent direction, screenplay, cinematography, editing, score and acting. The entire cast delivers the goods. In particular De Niro, Pacino, Kilmer, Judd and Voight are superb. The buzz around this film was that it would be the first time that two icons of Hollywood, De Niro and Pacino would appear on screen at the same time and they don't disappoint. The plot revolves around master thief Neil McCauley and Lt. Hanna. Neil is trying to deal with the consequences of a heist gone wrong due to the actions of a last minute add on to his crew. He is trying to hunt down this rogue member who has gone off the grid while at the same time planning to pull off one last heist before retiring from his profession. He is also trying to simultaneously deal with issues occurring in the life of his most trusted member Chris Shererlis. While this is going on Lt. Hanna is on to Neil and his crew and is hell bent on taking him down. Lt. Hanna is also dealing with his own personal issues with his wife and stepdaughter. Neil and Lt. Hanna meet at a diner and over a cup of coffee make it very clear that they are the best at what they do and no matter what it comes down to one or the other is going to lose. This conversation creates a bond and mutual respect between the two but does not prevent either from going through with their plans and promise. The plot is clever, intense, violent, intelligent, thrilling, action packed and has a poetic ending. There are many memorable scenes in this film, none more mesmorizing than the diner scene. When Neil and Lt. Hanna claim to be the best at what they do, it is symbolic of De Niro and Pacino. There are also many memorable quotes such as Neil's, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner". This proves to be vital and crucial advice. This is an unparalleled film in it's genre and has yet to be surpassed at this time.