amazing, cinematic, smooth + tasty

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 1999)

what perhaps most impressed me about "heat" is how well-directed it is, an aesthetic tour-de-force in some ways. visually, michael mann's cinematographer, dante spinotti, is extremely talented, and most impressed me with the tone of the film, which was easily established through the muted colors and grey-blue overtones apparent everywhere. "heat" to me most resembles sogo ishii's "angel dust," at least in terms of how drab it looked, yet there was a vitality that ran through everything. kudos to mann also for the way in which he set up most of the violent scenes (e.g., the big shoot-out in downtown l.a.). utterly realistic and wonderful.