Well-Crafted Crime Movie

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2002)

Oh yes, the trailers all trumpeted the great coming-together of De Niro and Pacino in this movie, and to a lesser extent, Val Kilmer. True, Heat does boast above-average acting and character development, but that is not all the audience should pay attention to here.
What's even better than the acting in this movie is the stark reality of crime in LA, although the infamous bank shoot-out may have went a little off the edge. Michael Mann seems totally comfortable letting the camera rest on someone or something for longer than most other modern directors can tolerate, because he knows that this not just a popcorn action movie.

The actual story is not the most original, but it is wholly enjoyable, especially when so many good performers on screen to deliver their lines. For the record, I liked Pacino more than De Niro here, and Pacino's unhappy wife also acted well. As for the rest of the cast members, any average moviegoer can probably recognize each and every one of them.
Although the film needlessly drags on to around 3 hours in length, one ends up appreciating the time spent watching a crime movie of this scale and quality. It's quite a suprise that Heat didn't sizzle at the Oscars. 1-10 Scale Overall-8 Direction-8.5 Acting-9 Story-6 Music Score-6 Cinematography-8