Heat is exactly what it says...a crime saga...not your average action crime flick

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2008)

In many ways Michael Mann is the type of director who really does have his own style and flare. I can't honestly say I'm necessarily a fan but I think he really does try to make the audience feel his story, and bring them into it and then on top of that makes it a snazzy artistic film that people can look at and say "Yep that's Michael Mann." I hold a certain disdain for him since I paid and sat through the utter garbage that was Miami Vice but you couldn't deny he tried to make it feel real and sharp and gritty and Heat is the same way. He called it a 'crime saga' and there is no doubt that Heat packs a punch but is it for the right reasons? The film clocks in at nearly three hours which as much as I appreciate a good long film, it's far too long for this type of movie. There is plenty that could have been cut out to make the film move a little better but again Mann wants it a certain way. The film chronicles every detail of both sides of this fight...the criminal side and this little family of crooks and then the police unit trying to stop and catch them and then it goes into the details about the personal lives of the two leaders to (I believe) show us that the two men aren't different at all.
The key to Heat being what it is are the two players in the game and this is the legendary and moving Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in their first screen time together (they both starred in the Godfather 2 but never shared any screen time together.) I worship these two men, they acting gods and they don't disappoint in these roles. DeNiro is Neil McCauley, a life time thief who is brilliant at it and treats it like a major operation that it is complete with his tight knit crew. McCauley is cocky in some ways, egotistical and yet subtle and smooth. DeNiro is a sight to behold and does a great job. However between the two of them I have to give it up for the amazing Al Pacino who is mind blowingly good as Lt. Vincent Hanna whose passion for the job is bar none. Pacino's personal life is explored at length as we see how much he lives for this job and to stop McCauley like it's a personal vendetta for him. He's passionate and loud as Pacino always is but grips you to his scenes. The rest of the cast is just packed with stars of various talent and Hollywood status including Val Kilmer (underused but his character is still great,) Jon Voight (more of a cameo for him), Tom Sizemore (also underused), Amy Brenneman (terrific chemistry opposite DeNiro), Ashley Judd (really great performance), Dennis Haysbert (small role but really great and different for anyone used to seeing him on The Unit or 24), William Fichtner (small role but terrific as a slimy businessman), Natalie Portman (very, very small role), and Mykelti Williamson (always makes a good cop.) However you like at it, this ensemble cast was put together to support DeNiro and Pacino and they do that just fine.
There is definitely some key moments in Heat and the first one is the cup of coffee that McCauley and Hannah sit down for. Here are these two Hollywood legends sitting and having a banter of wits over coffee and it's a terrific scene that can only be experienced. And then of course is the infamous bank heist scene that turns into a full scale war of M16's and automatic weapons that wraps the film up basically. I also thought it was well worth hanging in there to see the final cat and mouse game between Pacino and DeNiro which we've all wondered about and then to get to see right there on the screen. Despite the film running long which I understand he really was trying to make a saga of sorts and kudos to Mann for doing that...the film is worth seeing. I will say that I think it is a little over hyped considering it never did that well when it was released but only now has a cult following but it's still a powerful film to watch. 8/10