a true gem of quality film long gone

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2002)

Let me preface this by saying that this movie IS considered a crime-action-drama type movie. But if you aren't necessarily interested in those specific genres of film, do not worry. Heat is not just another action-drama. It rather speaks to an innate issue in all of us. What will we live and die for?
In my opinion, being a huge Pacino fan and an even bigger DeNiro fan, given the years of experience and sheer amount of superb roles each of them has underneath their belts, I would argue that this film, in their latter years of film making (Pacino then at 55 and DeNiro at 52), is some of the best work that each of them has done on the screen.
This is the true ultimate story of two men unwantingly on the opposite sides of the law. DeNiro fills his smoother than smooth bad guy role to the T, bringing in the reality of the character and showing him to be dynamic and real. Pacino takes on the part of a street wise, taking no crap from no one, hard nosed driven type of guy.
In addition to these two godfathers of film who could just as well carry the movie, we are blessed with multiple superb secondary characters that provide so much color and support for Pacino and DeNiro.
Specifically Val Kilmer as the loose cannon, yet cool under fire (literally) bad guy in DeNiro's gang and Tom Sizemore who in my opinion adds so much to every film that he is in.
Jon Voight is great in his small role as DeNiro's inside man, Ashley Judd is beautiful and as talented as ever as Kilmer's wife, Amy Brenneman is great in one of her first big roles as DeNiro's love interest, and the ever-talented, young (and now not so young but still as talented) Natalie Portman as the troubled step-daughter of Pacino.
Michael Mann breaths life into the script (that he wrote too) and into the movie. This is a movie that hits us all. See it.
10 out of 10