The greatest crime drama ever!

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2003)

They do not get more perfect than this film. All of the pieces for a masterpiece are in place. You have the two biggest actors of the last twenty years, Pacino and DeNiro. You have some great talent in the supporting cast, Sizemore, Voight, Noonan. Kilmer, etc. You have one of the best bad guys ever in Waingro (Kevin Gage). Coordinating these brillinat actors together is one of the greatest directors of our time, Michael Mann. Brilliant dialog, direction, choreography, cinematography, etc.
The movie centers around the relationship between "cops" and "robbers." Mann shows us just how close these two groups are to one another. After all, if you devote your whole life to staking these robbers out, thinking like them and investigating them, you are in reality, living their life. Pacino's character is consumed with busting guys that "take down scores." His marriages collapse, his personal life is non-existant. Moreover, the robbers live an almost identical existance. They plot and plan and steal. Living for the score. This movie shows you that criminals do live by a code and cops get off on the action just as much as the cons.
The real strength of this film is the great story and dialog provided by Mann. He used hours and hours of prison interviews to get "con literate." The result is dialog that is real and a story that is all too plausible. In fact, several bank heists were directly inspired by the events portrayed in this film. Now this is not a good thing, but does show just how on the ball Mann was in his script. **** out of ****.