Intelligent, tense, and thrilling, Mann's "Heat" is more than an just an ordinary crime film

Rating: Null/10 (16 April 2008)

"Heat", much more than a typical crime drama, is a character-driven masterpiece of writing and a film so riveting and fascinating that one cannot take his or her eyes off the film for one second without possibly missing a masterful shot or a fine bit of character development. If the film's intelligent, appropriately 'epic', character-driven screenplay wasn't enough to make this a great film, then surely Mann's brilliant direction, Dante Spinotti's photography, and Elliot Goldenthal's memorable score make this a great film.
Of course, the big selling point for "Heat" to this day is the union of screen legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. I am not certain whether the film's excellent screenplay was written by Mann with these two actors in mind, but it doesn't feel like it because it does not feel for a second like a cheap marketing gimmick, and the two actors actually share very little screen time together (for the first time, as despite both of them appearing in "The Godfather: Part II", they were not in any scenes together). When they do, it is tasteful and interesting. The scene in the diner where they first really meet, not counting a quick encounter on the street just before, is perhaps the true centerpiece of the film, even more so than the famed shootout. In that short, beautiful scene the two main characters discover just how similar to and yet different from each other they are.
The film is brilliantly. It is around three hours in length, but passes faster than most 90 minute films. The film masterfully builds tension while developing characters in its early stages in what some might call subplots, which is entirely missing the point of this film being driven by the characters rather than strictly by the plot. The film has a loose 'main' plot, but is a true epic, one which concentrates on many different characters and stories in almost equal measure. It builds up to a climax which lasts for an entire hour, a riveting, spectacular, epic, brilliant hour of film that begins with the shootout. Oh, the great, famous "Heat" shootout in the middle of the street in broad daylight. My opinion may be blasphemy to some, but I think this is one of the best and most exciting scenes in film history. It's as well-shot and edited as any of cinema's most well-known action scenes.
The immediate thing that stands out about the visual look of the film is how carefully and beautifully composed some of the shots are, the prime example being the film's stunning final shot (which follows an equally astonishing final sequence), which is certainly up there with the great final shots in cinema. The film's look cannot be credited entirely to Mann, as frequent Mann collaborator (The Last of the Mohicans, The Insider) Dante Spinotti's work as cinematographer is certainly impressive as well. This cast is certainly much bigger than Pacino and De Niro, and I can't think of one performance, not even Jon Voight's that can be called anything less than excellent. From Val Kilmer to Tom Sizemore to Ted Levine to Ashley Judd, the supporting cast is terrific. Even Natalie Portman's good.
"Heat" is a masterclass. The writing, direction, cinematography, acting, everything about the film is great from start to finish. Truly a brilliant film, and one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. It doesn't work because it is a good crime thriller, it works because it's a terrific character drama, one which I find more and more involving with every viewing.