Heat - an excellent and intelligent crime movie.

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2003)

Heat is one of the best films made. This is a thinking man's version of the cops-and robbers genre and it just doesn't have someone being killed every five minutes and something exploding which is ubiquitous in all of the action blockbusters today (which is kind of sad). The characters are three-dimensional and flawed and their relationships are fully explored in this movie. It was good to see two great actors appear in one movie.
The two leads, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are dynamite. Pacino and De Niro have played plenty of cops and criminals in their respective careers and this would have to be a major highlight in their impressive filmographies. Al Pacino portrays Vincent Hanna as an intelligent, tough, no-nonsense, obsessive and relentless yet flawed character. Vincent might be a highly decorated cop, but he is so consumed with his work, that it takes its toll on his personal life. He has been divorced at least twice, his daughter is messed up, and his third wife is ready to divorce him. It shows that his job as a cop is his entire life. He's not the type of person to sit around all day.
Robert De Niro's Neil McCauley is more restrained than his other characters in the past (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Cape Fear). Neil McCauley though a career criminal, isn't portrayed as such a bad guy. He is portrayed as a human being with a life. He too, has a personal life which is parallel with Vincent's. He is intelligent, precise, violent and private, though he is lonely and does not have any attachments in his life. The only friends he has are the other criminals he works with and the love interest in his life which plays a big part in the movie later.
Val Kilmer is actually pretty good in his otherwise hit-and-miss career. Other supporting actors including Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson and Ted Levine are solid and this keeps the strength of the movie together.
The best scenes in the movie were the armoured car robbery (well executed), the pivotal scene where Pacino and De Niro finally meet face to face, the big shootout in downtown L.A. after the bank robbery (realistic and a major highlight in the movie), and the final scene where the two leads have the final showdown.
Heat wasn't nominated for any awards, but it was a pretty well acclaimed movie (back in 1995). Michael Mann's direction was brilliant. Cinematography, sound, editing, and music is flawless.
One flaw, it is a bit overlong (164 Minutes), but is still a top movie.
Rating - 10 out of 10.