Heat

Rating:
Summary: The Hunt for the Rice
Review: "eat nothing that you cannot drop in 5 minutes when you spot the
sticky rice on the yum cha trolley"

The Sticky would whole heartedly agree with this statement as he watched in absolute fascination as Bob and his chopstick welding crew prepared to rob the biggest cache of rice grains. On their tail is Al, a hard nose cop with a heart of rice.

It's a fine line these actors tread in showing what the Sticky Rice really means. Watch out for unforgettable shootout scene when Bob and crew fight their way out of a horde of hawker food owners scrambling to recover the precious rice. And witness the tragic suicide attempt by Natalie Portman as she tries to stuff herself with Swei Mai. It's all delicately directed by the main man himself, Michael Mann, who created such classics as RiceHunter, The Last of the Stick Rice and the Noodle.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous fabulous movie ... terrible terrible DVD ....
Review: I had bought this dvd some time ago but never had a chance to watch the movie. OK so with heavy hitting stars like De Niro, Pacino, Val Kilmer and Jon Voigt, I should expect no less than perfection and that is exactly what I got.

This fast paced action thriller was so intense that I even had to use the pause button to get a cold beer, something I usually do not do with a lot of the other movie fare around today ....

With so many great and concise reviews on this site theres no sense in being repetitive but, the presentation of the LA cop, Pacino and his wife and stepdaughter was, hands down, the absolute best depiction of that conflict that always exists with cops that are married to their jobs. All cop and robber movies usually touch on the subject but usually fail to display the gut wrenching emotions and conflicts as this movie does.

One thing that BUMMED me out completely..... I mean the wide screen aspect comes out as a letterbox in wide screen on this DVD. Hey, cmon guys couldn't you have cut the DVD to cover the full screen I though that when I bought my big screen TV I would not have to suffed through those darned letterbox movies any more.... On the same note the sound tracks, dolby digital sounded a little on the lame side as well ....

Normally I would have knocked some stars off my reveiw because of the quality of the DVD but this action packed thirller is worth every buck.

Rating:
Summary: Of Crime and Relationships
Review: "Heat" is a grim, violent flick that examines both sides of the cops and robbers coin. Its entertaining, even gripping at times, yet is overly long and never quite pulls off its bleak message.

"Never bring anyone or thing into your life that you can't walk away from in 30 seconds" is the philosphy of Robert DeNiro's character - head of a skilled and deadly crew who specialize in bigtime robberies. Val Kilmer is his right-hand man whose wife is ready to walk because he's gambled away all of his 'eanrnings'. Al Pacino is the cop relentlessly pursuing DeNiro's crew, whose 3rd marriage and step-daughter are falling apart.

An unfortunate choice in a 4th partner on their initial score in the movie brings tons of heat on DeNiro and crew. They decide on one last high-risk score before walking away. The drama is tight as it builds to the movie's climax. Will any of the crew (and their relationships) survive this final heist?

For all its attempts to be a movie with a message (crime doesn't pay and neither do relationships with those involved - on either side of the law)its still basically an entertaining cops and robbers shoot-em-up flick. All the bits about relationships simply make this a much longer movie. I would have been happier without them.

The movie is also unique for portraying both good and bad guys without really taking sides (though the outcome is conclusive). Unlike "Die Hard" or "Lethal Weapon", Pacino's character is not made into a superhero. He fights the good fight, but away from the job he is pretty much a jerk.

Pacino is outstanding as the over-the-top cop and DeNiro is excellent as the understated and likable-but flawed gang leader.

DVD extras are minimal (trailers, credits, etc.)

Grade: C+ for being too long, and occasionally dull and confusing

Rating:
Summary: The Best Non-Mob Crime Flick of the 1990s
Review: Near-perfect, some reviewers have claimed that "Heat" is overlong, and over-violent. Actually, most of the problems with this film, if any, derive from the fact that the film is not long enough. Of course, you can't have a 5-hour film these days, but if there were to be one, "Heat" would be it. This film's only disappointment is Michael Mann's unfortunate inability to more fully develop the multitude of intriguing characters created in this crime-drama masterstroke.

The story is old, but boldly new at the same time. Crooks stealing things, and things going wrong in the process. And the "Heat" which ensues. Mann's story here is really cool, and original in its adaptation from a previous effort. Practice apparently makes perfect.

What truly makes this film are the characters which Mann has created. Both realistic, and necessarily stereotypical for a Hollywood film, Mann finds an excellent balance between the needs of the screenwriter, and the needs of the audience. Because of the large panoply of characters, all of which are essential to the picture, this film retains immense depth even after multiple viewings. As a production side-note, "Heat" is the stylistic mass-market high watermark of the 90's, but the effort does not rest on those laurels alone.

DeNiro, as usual, is both perfectly cast and fully engaging, and his performance as a professional criminal, while standing on its own, mainly lends credibility to the other performances: as such, DeNiro supports as much as he leads, which is no small feat. The neat thing here is that, because of the film's length, the audience actually gets some breathing room and quality time with the Master, in a spectrum of encounters with the various characters throughout the story. In "Heat", DeNiro is a man with a mission, and it's truly gripping to watch the picture progress as DeNiro's character tries to hold everything together within a vortex which spins just at the fringe of his control

An awesome, all-star supporting cast, including a somewhat-bizarre, but excellent Val Kilmer as DeNiro's protégé, and the gorgeous (and totally believable) Ashley Judd as Kilmer's wife, make massive contributions. Hank Azaria, as Judd's side-interest, is well-cast and loathsome. Tom Sizemore as the tough, but intelligent ex-con Cheritto lends bulk and backbone to DeNiro's heist crew. Danny Trejo as the loyal, ultimately-star-crossed Trejo, meets the mark in a heart-wrenching exit.

Jon Voight, brilliantly made-up as Nate, DeNiro's go-man, also stands out in an understated portrayal. The multi-talented Tom Noonan as the handicapped hacker Kelso, fills out the outstanding cast of arch criminals on the crime end of this story.

But there are two sides to this 3+ hour coin. The crooks are met by the heat, namely Al Pacino as a disaffected, but dedicated, detective, on the 'downside of his third marriage' to the compelling and hot Diane Venora as Justine, who asks for nothing but connection with Pacino's character Vincent. Pacino, the hopeless cop, is unable to give, yet redeems himself later in an unique vignette of realistically-depicted teen trauma. With the Pacino character, Mann creates a sort of benevolent reflection of DeNiro's villainous image, and, therein, the basis for the powerful dramatic tension that makes this film a true classic.

Needless to say, Pacino utterly nails it. No surprise.

The scenes with Pacino and Tone Loc and Ricky Harris have been called over-the-top. Wrong! This is Pacino at his best.

But Pacino and DeNiro, while co-stars, co-leads, and synergistic prime-movers within the larger story, are again in many ways secondary to an even deeper supporting cast that also includes William Fichtner in a pivotal role as Van Zant, as well as the well-directed Henry Rollins as Van Zants' henchman.

As the story develops the audience is brought to the depths of even deeper hatred, in the form of Kevin Gage's fine performance as the scum-bag stand-in Waingro. Amy Brenneman, as DeNiro's new gal, adds an important twist in a great outing.

The only negatives are a patch containing very sour guitar notes in an otherwise-serviceable soundtrack, and a slightly over-made-up Pacino in what is to this date an unique scene featuring Pacino and DeNiro squaring off. Minor drawbacks in a major-league success.

Own this movie! It's as good as it gets within the genre, and it will be until Mann remakes it, yet again, for the new century.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie....bad sound
Review: I loved the movie, finally got to see 2 of my favorite actors together in one movie, and the movie does not dissapoint. A 3 hour long movie but I didn't even feel it was that long because of how into it I was. However, might be just my dvd copy, but the sound is extremely low. I had to put the volume almost to the max to hear it well, and its not my set because every other dvd i have does not do this. I also would switch to regular tv once in a while just to test, and regular tv would blast at that level...while the movie would just sound ok.

Rating:
Summary: Great Cast-Interesting Story.
Review: By virtue of the casting, this movie is further elevated to a new level above and beyond the already above average script, dialogue and fast paced action herein. ............. Robert DeNiro as villain -vs- Al Pacino as detective on the case, a pairing that we've never seen before, is exciting. I'd love to see these two together again, because there is just something magical about seeing these two veteran talents together on screen. ..............The best scene in the movie is the meeting that DeNiro and Pacino have sitting face to face at the restaurant table. The tension, and the mind games between the two seem very real. I also loved the final showdown which did make me sad...because I cared about the characters. I do think, that a quality movie will make you care about the characters. In "Heat" there are certainly plenty of interesting characters played by high profile talents such as Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, and Val Kilmer. They really enhance and support the Pacino and DeNiro roles well. Pacino and DeNiro always bring any script to it's pinnacle. While I find that Pacino tailors his acting to the roles he plays, while incorporating them into his own personality...DeNiro seems to always play himself. DeNiro is fascinating whether he's Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver" or a "Raging Bull" Jimmy Conway in "Goodfellas" or even when playing comedy such as in "Analyze This." No matter what the film venue, Robert DeNiro's ordinary, is always extraordinary............ I didn't find that the movie felt too long, certain stories can't be wrapped up in the average running time of most films. There were moments where the plot intentions became vague and confusing. I definitely recommend at least two viewings for an enriched understanding of all the elements in this complicated and engrossing story. .......... Amazingly, this has, to date, been the only chance a movie buff who loves Pacino and DeNiro can get two great talents for one admission! For that reason alone, one thing is for sure, for real excitement with superb casting, you CAN'T beat the "Heat."

Rating:
Summary: TOP NOTCH ACTION
Review: In my opinion, it is the best movie alot of people have never seen. But once they do, they love it.

Rating:
Summary: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (Can it get better)
Review: Yes it can, Directed by one of the greatest directors of our time Michael Mann and a little bit of Val Kilmer and you got your self one of the best movies of all time....
Let me say this I don't do reviews a lot but I think this movie has the two best Actors in the Bizz at this moment going up against each other. The first time I saw that movie it sent shivers down my back when they sat across from each other...
I love this movie, it is on my top 10 list of all time favorit movies... I can't give this movie less than Five stars, becasue not only are both AL and Robert in it, it is a great movie made by a great Director......
Michael Mann (Latest Movie Insider, And ALI)
Al Paccino (Insider)
Robert De Niro (15 Minutes, Meet the Parent, Meet the Fockers)

Rating:
Summary: Quite the Bomb, yo.
Review: I think this is just a great film. As far as great lines and sheer "quoteability" this movie ranks up there with Top Gun, Tombstone, and A Few Good Men. Additionally, it stars two of the coolest men alive.

Rating:
Summary: This HEAT, I would stay in the kitchen for.
Review: I purchased this DVD sight unseen on the advice of a friend at work. Great suggestion Ken. I was thoroughly entertained throughout this film. The gunfight outside the bank was great. The surround sound on this DVD was done very well. You hear everything. The scene at the cafe'..... all you can say is WOW! DeNiro and Pacino were perfect in that scene together. This is one I would definately recommend. It's a keeper.