great direction and phenomenal acting, but something is missing

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2005)

SPOILERS Both legendary actors (the best two ever?) and both making names for themselves in the majestic "Godfather" trilogy, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are actors that make a film. Often voted as the top two actors ever in television polls, these two men are like box-office gold dust. Therefore, when intensity genius Michael Mann decided to direct 1995's "Heat", he must have felt like he was on cloud number nine when they both agreed to starring roles. The notion of De Niro versus Pacino is an idea that fans drool over, and in "Heat" for the limited time they are on screen together, it works wonderfully. Unfortunately though, for a film which markets itself on the acting combination, this just isn't a long enough period. Still, with Michael Mann's masterful work behind the camera, the three men still produce a brilliant film. It just doesn't quite reach that full potential.
Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is your regular work obsessed cop. Attempting to mix a family life with stopping crime, things are far from wonderful. At the same time, master criminal Neil McCauley (De Niro) is a rich, but lonely man who might just have met someone to spend his life wife. Now though, on different ends of the spectrum, these two men will risk everything they hold dear, in the simple attempt of outwitting each other.
Helped by a superb supporting cast including Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore and others, Pacino and De Niro show just why they are two of the best (if not THE best) actors in the world today. Sharing screen time almost identically, the two actors pit themselves against each other for almost three hours, culminating in your predictable one on one resolution. Unfortunately for the film, and it's enormous hype though, it's far too rare that the two actually get to exchange words with each other. Excluding the conclusion and a stunning scene in a café, the two characters watch each other from a distance and talk about their opposition with respect. It's like claiming your friends with the President of America when you've met him once. You know of each other's existence, but more often than not, your never in the same room together.
Despite their relative lack of time together, De Niro and Pacino are a treat to watch throughout this film, and they are always well assisted by the direction of Mann. A master of intensity, Michael Mann is perhaps the finest director out there at the moment, that can use the dark tones of night-time to create a truly nerve tingling moment. Even during the day, he is proficient at gaining intensity. Ultimately though, Mann is finest during the cold, darkness when the Sun has gone down.
Michael Mann is also responsible for the story of "Heat" and truthfully, this is perhaps his one flaw. Creating a strong and sturdy story, it appears hard to criticise Mann's work. Unfortunately though, there are key mistakes. As a result of devoting himself purely to a De Niro and Pacino showdown, Mann leaves one or two gaping holes in his story. A minor character who plays a relatively key role in the film is also a mass murderer who butchers women he's slept with, but throughout the film, despite Pacino visiting the scene of a murder, he never once refers to it afterwards. Now if that was real, why didn't Pacino realise the characters links and mention it. Still, perhaps this is simply picking at an issue and looking for a criticism of the film.
There's little point denying that the true strengths of this movie are the outstanding performances by De Niro, Pacino and Mann. All working to their full standard, they provide us with almost three hours of pleasure. For a film which advertised itself as being De Niro versus Pacino however, their screen time together is vastly inferior to what you'd expect.