SUPERSTAR CRIME STORY

Rating: Null/10 (21 November 2001)

Michael Mann has brought his TV classic CRIME STORY full circle with this epic. There is recognizable dialogue ("You do not get to watch my television set") taken from the TV show, which is fine: It was Mann's original work to begin with. Mann gets superstar talent in DeNiro and Pacino in 2 men who are both without any quality of (personal) life. While both are an emotional train wreck, Pacino's Vincent Hanna, has a badge and a weekly paycheck, giving him a micro spec of stability. These are characters that could die in cliches, but Mann is too smart a director and screenwriter to get sucked into that obvious trap and he dodges the sacarine factor at every opportunity just as the cops and civilians duck hot flying lead in the now infamous Wilshire Blvd. gun battle sequence. At 3 plus hours, you wonder where the time went. With the usual cast of "Mann Players" in tow, although I miss Dennis Farina being in this one, the performances carry the film. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd and Tom Sizemore stand out in supporting roles that polish the work of 2 film icons. One of 1995's best!