Highly Distinct

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2009)

PLOT
A gang of elite thieves are eventually overcome by elite detectives. Loved ones on both sides are affected in the process, as are various underworld figures and the Los Angeles public.
REVIEW
John Walker, during his turn as sole contributor to Halliwell's Film Guide, docked this film several marks for creating an inappropriate allegory between the lives and minds of criminals and the lives and minds of police. Yet this allegory does not sufficiently taint Michael Mann's intricate, character-driven and highly developed crime thriller.
An epic cast play either rugged, cool-headed leading men; their smart, feisty, genuinely attractive women; or a chorus of sleazy, doom-destined underworld figures. In particular, Al Pacino's character displays some hilarious neuroses as the damaged lead detective; while the sleek, understated chemistry of the core criminal gang, played by Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore and Danny Trejo, is superior even to that of the Wild Bunch.
Mann finds time to display his seasoned knowledge of police procedure and criminal code, while acknowledging the inescapable forces of love, retribution and chaos. Above all, however, the film is to be commended for several key action sequences that are guaranteed to greatly excite the vast majority of discerning viewers.
ELEPHANT STAMPS
Michael Mann for writing and direction.