Heat

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Films of the 1990s.
Review: This film is nothing less than a masterpiece. A perfect blend of drama, crime thriller and action. Michael Mann's direction is brilliant and all the actors give good performances - especially Pacino and Deniro who finally share the screen in a truly classic scene. The plot contains many layers and it avoids most of the clichés that usually characterise films within this genre. Furthermore, the characters are not reduced to stereotypes which is also quite rare in a Hollywood film these days. Heat is one of the few truly great films that came out of Hollywood in the 1990s, but of course it did not win a single Academy Award.

Rating:
Summary: Thought-Provoking Crime Epic
Review: I have always had mixed emotions about Michael Mann's 1995 crime epic "Heat." Undoubtedly, it is an extraordinary film complete with a handful of great performances, electric action sequences, brilliant editing, unforgettable style and a thoughtful screenplay. No stone is left unturned in Mann's interesting view of modern-day police/thief battles. "Heat" also nicely compliments Mann's past work ("Thief," "Manhunter") dealing with similar themes and obsessions.

But the film's keynote action sequence, when Robert De Niro's criminal gang robs an LA bank, leading to an explosive standoff with Al Pacino's police force, is such a surreal, mind-blowing, testosterone-pumped clash, that one uncomfortably realizes this type of behavior is being romanticized. It is doubtful De Niro's gang could ever fight their way out of such an OK Corral situation. But they do, eventually leaving what appears to be a squadron of police officers and cars mauled, injured and dying.

De Niro's gang essentially becomes indestructible gladiator supermen, on the level of Sergio Leone gunfighters from "Once Upon a Time in the West." But Leone's film takes place in a fantasy west over 100 years ago, while Mann's world lands right square in the middle of modern-day civilization. It's disturbing, even more so when one realizes that any unbalanced fool with a society ax to grind will watch "Heat" and see themselves as these stylish, if not noble, criminal warriors. In fact, just such a bank robbery took place in LA, in which desperate men tried to mimic the very robbery seen in "Heat." But reality is not fantasy, and these men ended up dead.

I could go on and on about the quality of "Heat," and it is indeed a brilliant work from a master director. I love Al Pacino's performance. I enjoy Jon Voight's character turn as De Niro's criminal connection. Ashley Judd is stunning as the long-suffering wife of Val Kilmer. The cinematography and set direction is inspired, if not unforgettable.

But one cannot escape the fact that Mann's work glamorizes the criminal lifestyle - turning thieves (albeit high class, successful thieves) into cool anti-heroes. The criminal life is cruel, brutal and morally bankrupt. And while the standoff in "Heat" could possibly be compared to the final standoff in Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch," Mann has placed his protagonists squarely into our everyday lives. This has been done before in Abel Ferrara's brilliant "King of New York." But anyone who has ever watched that harrowing (if not superior) film, realizes that those criminals are leading anything but an attractive lifestyle.

There's no grit in "Heat." And perhaps the criminal suits are a bit too well pressed.

Rating:
Summary: Heat is a true depiction of cops chassing robbers
Review: I am surprised that none of the reviews I read picked up on this, and perhaps you have to chase bad guys to get an appreciation for it, but this movie depicts the cop's disadvantages in catching these robbers. The cops life is turned up side down and is out of control much like the life you might expect a drug dealer to have, his daughter commits suicide, his wife takes him or leaves him, he gets no respect, his abode is trashy, has limited resources, all he has is his determination to catch a thief with superior means and intellect. Deneiro (the thief) is calm and colleted, disciplined, hardly ever breaks a sweat, always has a backup plan, has endless resources, his abode is luxurious and he finds love. He wears white, he is the good guy! Who has scruples and who doesn't? After knowing the characters, who would you believe in a court of law the cop or the thief? It blurs the lines between good guy and bad guy. It is an excelent film and never realized it was 3 hours. Character development is fascinating and very realistic. It reverses the traditional "movie cop" roles by having the cop react emotionally (like being cornered & panicked) and the robber react cerebrally (not cornered nor panicked). See it!

Rating:
Summary: Classic of course...
Review: I agree with most of the reviews so I will not state the obvious...I remember Al Pacino (who lit the screen) saying to comedian Rick Harris "Give me all you got...Give me all you got"...that was so funny....classic movie..

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest movie of all time
Review: I could go on & on but i will spare you.Put simply this movie is the greatest,if you love a tense action thriller with dialogue as exciting as the action itself then this is the film for you.

I live in hope that one day Warner will re-issue this DVD as a special edition.

Rating:
Summary: Another great movie, another chessey DVD
Review: Yeah, it's long, but it is good to the last minute. Pay special attention to the coffee scene between Pacino and De Niro: it is just so well played.

And what's up with another zero-extra DVD (oh yeah, the trailer, big deal!)!

Rating:
Summary: Favorite All Time Movie
Review: Deniro + Pacino = 5 Stars

A must have for any DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: Taut character study gets lengthy...
Review: When is Michael Mann going to learn that longer is not neccessarily better? "Heat" is almost three hours long! And it's a movie that would have been excellent at just two hours! The movie, what would normally be an action flick, is a great character study. We have the disgruntled homicide cop (Al Pacino), we have the elusive criminal (Robert DeNiro), and we have all the people they interact with. The movie is about those two people, though, and how they finally come together in a gut-wrenching climax. The film's biggest problem is its length. There are just too many scenes that could have been shortened or deleted. But Pacino and DeNiro give it their all and carry this film effectively, proving why they're the best at what they do.

Rating:
Summary: Shame On Oscar For Not Even Nominating This Film
Review: HEAT dazzles with styles, grips, and thrills. Arguably one of the best in its era, just like the two main cast in this film - Pacino & De Niro (with the appearance of these two names, no need to say more, unless you don't give a damn about movies). No other film in the same genre offers the whole-out satisfaction as it does for the entire one hundred seventy minutes. To blink would be a waste of time while watching it.
Instead of raving about it, it really depends on how individuals appreciate this masterpiece. If you find it boring and lengthy, you are probably one of those dumb-fun action seeker who rather watch Jean-Claude Van Damme splitting legs, and I strongly suggest you stay away from the film because you would be disgracing it.

The let downs of this DVD title, one is that seems like Warner Bros. did not do a very good job on video transferring. The picture looked stretched vertically on a normal TV. And two, with a film this standard, even though it is well-worth every penny paid for, should have tons of behind-the-scenes features or at least a full-length commentary.

Rating:
Summary: Heeeeeeat
Review: If you area guy, watch it, if you dont like it.... time to start shopping for a dress