Michael Mann at His Best

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2006)

Heat is almost a perfect movie. The score, cinematography, attention to detail, research and continuity are flawless. The plot is excellent and the acting nearly without peer. Mann created a picture with not only the protagonist and antagonist providing counterpoint, but also, the supporting characters as well. Diane Venora, Ashley Judd, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, et al. give this picture an amazing texture.
My plot critiques are minor. First of all, Neil (DeNiro) would have never, ever gone after his nemesis, Waingro. He was too disciplined. Neil would have completed his escape and visited his revenge at a later date. I've thought about Neil's decision from the perspective of the element of a "tragic flaw", but that theory does not hold up. Neil's behavior never hinted of such a flaw in the 2 hours and 45 minutes leading up to Mann's bad decision.
The end of this picture should be different, but until the end, the nuance and irony in Heat's plot are fantastic. E.g.: Neil sows the seeds of his own destruction by being greedy. Had he not tried to get more money by selling the proceeds of the first heist we see, in a manner that deviated from his tried and true standard operating procedure, the feud with Van Zant would have never happened and Waingro would have been out of the picture and unable to blow the bank job. Another great plot outcome: by killing Waingro, Neil unknowingly takes a serial killer off the streets. He does Vincent's job for him. What was Mann saying here? Another outcome that is beautifully ironic: Chris is the only thief who escapes with millions from the bank job, but we know that the proceeds from the score of a lifetime will not last because of Chris' degenerate gambling addiction. Chris also immediately loses what he values more than the millions, his wife. "The sun rises and sets with her []" he tells Neil.
My performance critiques are minor. Amy Brenneman strained somewhat attempting to affect some sort of regional accent. Also, in the scene where Neil is considering buying the bank package from Kelso, DeNiro is obviously reading a cue card. Later, when he confronts Judd in the motel, the scene was over rehearsed and feels awkward.
Aside from those minor missteps, too many great performances were overlooked by the Academy and critics: Judd, Kilmer and Voight for certain. Recall that in 1995, Kevin Spacey won the Oscar for "The Usual Suspects" and Mira Sorvino won for "Mighty Aphrodite"; none of Heat's supporting cast was nominated. Further, Mann was once again ignored; the director of "Babe" was not. The screenplay, cinematography and editing were also snubbed. Should we expect any different? Probably not.
Awards never validate a movie, of course, and in the case of Heat the lack of industry awards and box-office "success" does nothing to diminish what may be Mann's best movie. This is a must see.