Very good, but not great.. here's why...

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2012)

First of all, I'm a huge Michael Mann fan. "Heat" is a really good cat-and-mouse, cops versus robbers fare that thrives off of many of the directors trademarks.
Of course most of the film is shot at night. Of course there's the Mann-trademarks of blue-hues/lights and stylish direction and music.
Deniro's enigmatic performance went practically unnoticed. Robert's character seems much deeper than the script divulges, and he's the perfect ring leader. Great performance from Deniro here! Al Pacino is his cop-adversary in an over-the-top performance. I still haven't decided if Pacino and Mann went a little TOO far with his antics in this film. Pacino is just as on edge as Deniro - only he isn't afraid to vocalize it. This performance is like Pacino on steroids.
The best thing about this film is that cat-and-mouse action. The interaction between the two groups is fascinating. One scene in particular where Pacino pulls over and invites Deniro to sit down and have a cup of coffee is fantastic. In another great scene involving the two Pacino says,"you know what they're watching? They're watching us".
The film moves at a nice pace, and doesn't seem like a 170-minute movie.
I really didn't see any point in the relationship subplots here. These bad guys will obviously put just about anything behind their work:the threat of jail etc. I almost wish Mann had left all of the relationship stuff out of the script. It would have been different if he had established some genuine chemistry between some of these couples, but to me, it just seems more realistic that these women would have been kicked to the curb for business reasons. That's not to be sexist in any way. It's just an aspect of the film that really didn't work for me. I think the film would rank higher on my scale if Mann would have just eliminated all of that nonsense in exchange for more of the cat-and-mouse situations between the good guys and the bad guys. It also could have been a way to tighten this whole thing up and shorten it as well.
Good movie, but not fantastic. I actually enjoy "Manhunter" more, and think this is probably more on the level as "Last of the Mohicans" and "Collateral" in terms of quality from Mann. I don't think this film deserves a spot in the top 250, but it is extremely entertaining none-the-less.
84/100 You'll like this if you liked: Collateral, Manhunter, Inside Man, or William Friedkin cop and robbers fare like The French Connection or To Live and Die in L.A.