Robert De Niro and Al Pacino at their best

Rating: 8/10 (24 July 2007)

I saw this movie for the first time over two weeks ago and I was quite pleased on the overall result. "Heat" is an exciting thriller and it tells cleverly, quoting one of the plot outlines, about two men on opposite sides of the law - One being a detective and one being a thief. The movie starts off with a robbery, which is arranged by Neil McCauley, the thief, and his criminal crew. This brings Vincent Hanna, the detective, and his crew to investigation which leads up to a hunt, Hanna being the hunter and McCauley being the prey. The movie wisely mixes up with the two lives of these two men, making the viewer feel sympathy towards both ends.
First of all I must say that the screenplay is fantastic, it's very well written and despite the fact of the movie being a bit long-winded it still keeps the viewer interested all the way trough. It's exciting and includes great plot twists, having also some real depth in the whole background story. Emotions and feelings jump between happiness and sadness, having sympathy and hatred blended together with a really nice flow, although the flow sometimes not progressing as much as it should. It's just that sometimes it feels like the movie doesn't move towards, it just stops and stays there for a short period of time, which can be a bit irritating for some viewers. I guess those moments are there for building up the tension, but they could have been crafted out more carefully by considering the whole overall flow of the movie.
The movie has some great characters in it and above all of them are the characters of Neil McCauley and Vincent Hanna. These two characters who are played by such amazing actors are the characters which really make the movie what it is. Despite the movie having so much great characters some of them are sadly in need of some real depth, as those characters are sort of left out only as to be in minor roles, although they'd be important for the story itself. You really couldn't choose better actors for the roles of McCauley and Hanna, as they are played by the legendary actors Rober De Niro and Al Pacino, De Niro in the role of McCauley and Pacino in the role of Hanna. This is the reason why the role performances are what you expect them to be - Excellent. Other roles are played by such actors like Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore and also Dennis Haysbert and young Natalie Portman. Still, neither one of them reach on the same level as De Niro and Pacino. It's pretty obvious though. The movie also includes this superb scene between Pacino and De Niro, which is undeniably the best scene in the movie and probably one of the best tension-packed scenes in the history of movies. Although they just talk with each other it's still so exciting and it's pure candy for your eyes, as it is indeed a great pleasure to see such legendary actors working together in the same scene. By just the glance of their eyes De Niro and Pacino make a beautiful scene which couldn't be better in any way. Those who have seen the movie probably know what I'm talking about. Just superb.
Directed by Michael Mann it sure has that tension his movies seem to have. To me the directing is pretty much flawless and it's what directing should be in thriller/detective movies, it has this certain style of showing things on the screen and leaving some of the questions for the viewer to answer. Cinematography compliments the whole thing by being also what you expect it to be in a detective movie, precise and detailed, followed by the astonishing music. Composed by Elliot Goldenthal, who I haven't honestly heard of before, it is perfect for the movie and fits so well with the main theme as well. Music is a crucial instrument when it comes to thrillers as it is supposed to be significant for the tension a thriller should have. I am glad to say the music manages itself brilliantly in "Heat" All this; The directing, cinematography and the music makes "Heat" an exciting thriller, each area compliments each other.
"Heat" is a great movie but it could be better, as in the way it is now it's a bit too long and not so progressing it could be. The film is still definitely worth watching, especially for the thriller and Michael Mann fans, as those fans won't be disappointed. It's just that the progress sometimes gets so slow that it interferes with the flow. Well that may sound a bit too harsh, as it isn't actually so remarkable in the end, as you won't be left with a bad taste in your mouth after all. De Niro and Pacino are simply at their best and you just can't go wrong with them now can you? A great thriller which appeals to the feelings of the viewer surprisingly well by having also waterproof drama in it.