Mann turns the thriller genre into something more

Rating: 8/10 (12 September 2008)

What makes "Heat" a good film is what separates it from other thrillers. While divorcing the surprise endings, plot twists, and master thievery planning and execution and deciding to make a three hour "cat and mouse" crime drama may be a choice that turns away fans of the genre, writer/director Michael Mann deserves applause for the bold step because it really pays off in the end.
"Heat" stars two of the greatest actors ever in Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. Pacino is the LAPD major crimes detective and DeNiro the master thief. As the movie goes on, not only do you learn about how their professions and how their utter dedication to them affects their personal lives, but you watch as they slowly come closer to one another in what is a great payoff for all the minutes of anticipation.
What's great about Mann's film, and most of his films for that matter, is that the criminals are more than just criminals and the cops more than just cops: they get extensive backgrounds painted for them and so the action ends up being about more than just who is capable of being the coolest and kicking the most ass, but about understanding the actions that both take and what's at stake.
Pacino and DeNiro give great performances as always. The movies they've been in since the 90s began are a little more on the suspect side, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that they truly are still talented. Nobody else in the film, actor-wise, really stole any attention. Maybe Diane Venora as Pacino's wife comes closest.
"Heat" is a very drawn out, character driven cop-chasing-criminal thriller and that's really the best way to describe it. It definitely drags at points, but if you can focus on the details Mann has put into his characters and the use of lights and color in terms of aesthetic and symbolic value in the film, "Heat" instantly becomes one of the most respectable thrillers ever made even if it falls short of the most entertaining.