Heat

Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
Director: Michael Mann
Genre: Action / Drama
Year: 1995
Rating: 4 / 5

Pacino and De Niro. De Niro and Pacino. Together in the same film for the first time since The Godfather, Part II. On screen at the same time for the first time ever. If ever an on-screen pairing was able to exceed the advance hype, this duo was, headlining a dynamite cast in Michael Mann's police thriller Heat. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro deliver power-packed performances as Vincent Hanna, an obsessive, workaholic cop, and Neil McCauley, an ex-convict trying to wrestle with what direction he wants his life to take. Together, these two express the deep, mutual respect their characters have for each other, while allowing us to the see the very human emotions which underly their tough exteriors.

Originally written for the small screen, Heat is Michael Mann's greatest work of film-making to date. Mann allows us to follow McCauley (De Niro) and his gang of thieves, a group that truly is the best at what it does. The movie opens with a bang, as McCauley's group stages an explosive armored truck heist, making off with some lucrative bearer bonds. With this heist in the books, Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is assigned to the case, and he immediately comes to recognize these men as the professionals that they are, and the chess match is on.

The central action in the film revolves around a would-be bank robbery, planned and executed soon after the armored truck job. The plot, however, goes much deeper than that, as we follow McCauley and Hanna home. Here, we see two men who know nothing but what they do, to the point where they seemingly cannot function in the real world. Hanna is a twice-divorced detective who is, as he puts it, "on the downslope" of his third marriage. McCauley is a loner, who refuses to attach himself to anything he "cannot walk out on in thirty seconds flat" when he senses the heat coming. Together, they complement each other perfectly, as best exemplified is a much-discussed coffee shop sequence. It is in this setting that the two lay out for each other their goals and missions, as well as some insight into their hopes and dreams. The two gifted actors portray stoic professionalism, while also conveying a deep, unspoken respect.

Heat succeeds on so many levels, but to begin, one must look at the exceptional cast. The versatile Val Kilmer shines as Chris Shiherlis, McCauley's second in command, who is juggling his damaging gambling addiction with the love he feels for his wife (Ashley Judd) and son. Kilmer, while clearly projecting Shiherlis' skill at his craft, nonetheless is able to vividly convey the emotion his character feels with regards to his family. Jon Voight excels in a small role as Nate, the group's main topside contact. Since his return to prominence after nearly a decade of obscurity, Voight has not ceased to amaze me with his talent and persona. Amy Brenneman and Ashley Judd deliver capable performances in underwritten roles as the significant others of McCauley and Shiherlis.

Heat also delivers in terms of the mere feel and pace of the film. The actual bank robbery, occuring a little more than midway through the film, is one of the best I have seen, at least in terms of keeping the viewer glued to the tense circumstances. This is helped due the fact that we have come to develop an emotional attachment to the criminals, who, though dwelling on the wrong side of the law, are men with families and futures just like the detectives who are pursuing them. That realism, along with a well-written story that steers away from typical role conventions, drives Heat, right to the upper echelon of 1995's best films.

Cast:

Al Pacino..........	Vincent Hanna
Robert De Niro..........	Neil McCauley
Val Kilmer..........	Chris Shiherlis
Jon Voight..........	Nate
Tom Sizemore..........	Michael Cheritto
Amy Brenneman..........	Eady
Ashley Judd..........	Charlene Shiherlis

Certification: Rated R for violence and langauge.
Running Time: 164 minutes.

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