Exceptional Film

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2005)

It's hard to know what to say about this movie. This approaches perfection. The gritty atmosphere, the acting, the overall story and the way it's laid out, are all just superb.
Deniro portrays a somewhat subdued, understated character, yet I don't know if he's ever been better. He's gives Neil McCauley just the right look and feel. Pacino does his usual occasional overacting bit, yet he provides just the right tone for the workaholic, obsessed, personally troubled cop. Everyone else hits just the right notes for their characters and the context of the film. Really not a poor performance in the bunch This is pretty darn near perfect film making. Michael Mann achieves a great pace, feel and look, and the movie just pulls you in and captivates you. The look of a slick Los Angeles, with fortunes out there for the taking, is perfect. The plot and dialogue are as realistic and believable as you are going to find in a feature film.
Perhaps the only complaint might be the occasional overacting of Pacino. The yelling, bug-eyed bit really only works so many times. At times he was almost redoing his Dick Tracy "Big Boy" character. He's turning into a parody of himself.
However, the famous scene of Pacino and Deniro having coffee and talking is an example of two of the finest actors of this generation.
Really a superb movie; I never get tired of watching this.