The quintessential crime drama movie.

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2001)

Heat is a very special movie. A perfect combination of excellent writing, superb acting across the board, and wonderful direction.
Watching a Michael Mann film is a fulfilling experience; rewarding the attentive and thoughtful viewer. Take one of the first scenes in Heat where we see Val Kilmer purchasing something from some hardware place. Only at the end of the scene, briefly - very briefly - do we see the explosive sticker as he walks away from the camera, blink and you would have missed it. Its that attention to story telling which is all but gone these days. Most movie directors would have told you up front without hesitation what exactly is occuring and why leaving nothing to the imagination.
It goes without saying the acting is top notch with the super-pairing of De Niro and Pacino. The support cast is equally good, particularly Ashley Judd, Val Kilmer (shocker), John Voight, Tom Sizemore not to mention smaller parts from Amy Brennemen, Wes Studi, Diane Venora, even Ted Levine (are you about a size 14?).
Although clocking in at 3 hours, I appreciate Mann's pacing. Most movies would have tied everything up after the big shoot out climax, which actually occurs at halftime. Heat utilizes location shots for every scene and L.A. never looked cooler, especially the night shots.
The score is also sublimely soothing, tetering on new age with the help of Lisa Gerard who also helped out on The Insider soundtrack. It is a perfect compliment to Mann's direction.