Entertaining rebirth of the cops and robbers genre

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2003)

"Heat" is a cops drama, but also a crime drama. The stories of Lt. Vincent Hannah (Al Pacino) and robber Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) parallel each other until they meet near the end.
Pacino's Hannah might be considered your cliche "overworked cop can't spend time with his family" but if it is, Pacino still does it well. De Niro's McCauley is strong and intimidating, but still gives off a "polite" feel in most of his scenes. Of course, De Niro does that in almost all of his movies.
Like I said, the two act very well, especially for a cops and robbers flick. The supporting cast is also star-powered, making this film experience worth while. Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Judd, Danny Trejo and Ted Levine to say a few, all play there roles like real people and not just mindless cops/robbers.
"Heat" shows that robbers have friends too, with the countless (but entertaining) "dinner scenes", showing either Hannah or De Niro sitting in a restaurant talking with friends.
The message in "Heat": cops and robbers are people too. Works for me, 8/10.