Is Michael Mann amazing or is Michael Mann amazing ?

Rating: 8/10 (9 June 2011)

I'm a big fan of Michael Mann. Public Enemies, Collateral and The insider are still my favourite flicks.
Man-o-man Too bad I saw this movie too late in the 21st century.. Had I known somehow about it I wouldn't have wasted a single moment to watch this flick.
Boy these are the actors, the real grim Robert De Niro and the coolest Al Pacino. What a combination awesome rivalry, finest actors ever in the same bowl. While Robert De Niro plays a thief who is the boss of a group which had guys like Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo in it, he keeps his head low and has rarely ever caught heat until this time with Al Pacino in the driving seat as a detective handling his team of cops, who is merciless yet cool and has never failed to nail any case. Al Pacino is keen on catching Robert De Niro whilst a robbery is being performed as it would mean a big sentence for De Niro but blunders on his end causes De Niro to flee more than once. A failed attempt to execute a fellow member of his group costs De Niro's group a lot as he leaves one end of the cut thread open which leads Al Pacino's team to slowly crawl over their necks. While the movie went on I developed a soft corner for De Niro albeit he was a robber in the movie he was good at heart. He never gave precedence to love ever but eventually falls in love with a girl played by Amy Brenneman but things get ugly when she comes to know about his real identity. Al Pacino's personal life is a mess too with two divorces and an attempt to rectify the third he keeps on trailing De Niro till the end. If it weren't for his diligence in his work he would have been a good husband as well but not a genius at his job. The screenplay was amazing. De Niro had one maxim that he always followed – 'Never have anything in your life that you can't walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner' However he disobeys his own adage which costs him in the end. The movie ends with a sad note although it was the most apposite ending to such a movie. Great direction by Michael Mann, great story  Hats off to him Excellent choice (when he chose Al Pacino and Robert De Niro for the lead roles). The movie could have gone unnoticed or called as a clichéd one if it weren't for the superb performances by the two veteran actors.