Great movie with excellent characters...

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2002)

*Spoilers*
The movie is an incredible film and it serves as an excellent piece to show you how a great director and writer like Mann can take many characters, and give each of them enough depth so you understand and pity them when their time comes. Examples, Breedan (played by Senator Palmer from 24) has about 10 minutes of total screen time altogether in the movie but we know he's an ex-con, and we know he's trying to get his life back together. However, as we can see in the film, not everyone has a welcome mat for him, and he struggles. The short dialogue between him and his loyal girlfriend afterwards serves as a great scene as he vents his frustrations which ultimately leads to his decision to rejoin De Niro's crew. Subplots like this, done smoothly and all tie in with each other, help establish each of the great characters. Val Kilmer is a reckless gambler and a horrible husband, but his wife still loves him and he finally acknowledges that when the world's coming down on him. Sizemore is the complete opposite. He tries to be a good father and husband, BUT he has trouble balancing his loyalty to De Niro whom he has worked with for years, and his family. His job is dangerous, how long can he continue doing this? And there are plenty of others, all question their obligations towards family and their work which is good. I simply don't understand how anyone could consider this "boring"? Would people have preferred no character development and just mindless explosions and shootouts? Let's not forget Heat is a drama/action film (by the same man who brought us Miami Vice), not an action film.

And to all of the other naysayers of this movie, based on your inane and asinine remarks of various scenes, it's quite obvious you have NOT seen the movie. If you intend to criticize a good film, try to watch it instead of taking what little negative remarks (when they are themselves fabricated out of their bungholes) out there and using it as your own. You sound like a complete moron when you do.
Heat is a great film, with memorable characters.
9/10