Not only the best crime drama ever filmed, but a sincere pillar of cinema in general

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2018)

Anyone who considers themselves a cinephile will be hard-pressed to name a favourite movie of all time. There's just too many genres, too many legendary directors, too much to choose from. But if I ever found myself in a situation where I just HAD to pick one...well, let's just say I've thought long and hard about the answer.
I'll avoid retreading the superlatives desecribing Heat and just say that out of all the masterpieces I've witnessed on the big and small screens so far (and, being reasonably sure of what I may see in the future), this movie is greatest of all of them.
I could wax lyrical of the peaking careers of the leads, maybe even of the director himself (though The Insider wasn't released yet and I wouldn't argue against that being Mann's opus) or the way this story unfolds like a meticulously crafted tapestry. I'll admit that Pacino chewed the scenery to the point of caricature, that clichés abounded almost constantly, that characters that could have been better fleshed out were ignored in favour of the leads. It's flawed. But it doesn't matter.
I read a review once of Mann's being described as a ballet of violence. I feel like it's more like an opera. It's over the top and carries a poignancy that counterweights every bit that dramatic excess. In essence, the flaws make it even more endearing. At least to me. It's a movie I watch yearly and I doubt I'll ever get tired of doing so.