Heat

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: Heat stands out as not only one of the five best films of the 1990s, but as one of the best thriller/action movies of all time. Why? Let me count the ways. The apex of the the film is of course, the incredible bank heist and gun battle which follows it. I have NEVER seen anything like it on film. The camera work varies at times from hand-held to steady and that gives the entire segment an heir of hyper-reality if you will-as much or even more so than more famous later examples such as 'Saving Private Ryan'. Michael Mann is one of the best film makers of the modern era, and in my opinion, and the opinion of many others, this is his best film.

It's easy to see how a film with both Pacino and De Niro would be great. But there are many other ways in which this film towers above most others, many of them due to the amazing cinematography work and editing. Observe Mann's gorgeous use of color and shadow; the blue tint as Pacino is chasing De Niro on the freeway at night, the beautiful balcony scene with Amy Brenneman (who is amazing), the final scene of the film, the color and tone of Pacino's home, the various restaurants etc. The colors are brilliant-dark is REALLY dark. Also, the pains that Mann and others have gone to in order to present the most realistic depiction of the crossing of paths and dreams; these are not cardboard characters, these are (mostly) fully fleshed out people with their own fears and goals and greed. The film retains an undercurrent of menace and fear throughout, and the action is enough for any action film buff. How nice to see such a well-rounded film these days.

As far as the DVD goes, it looks and sounds quite good. I am not a fan of Warner Bros. DVD work in general-you know they could have put a lot more on the disc than they did. But what is there is great-three different trailers for the film among other things. My only complaint is that there seem to be a few scenes in the film that literally look grainy. I swear I can see the change in the light and color on the screen as a switch is made between film and videotape elements. I have not heard anyone else mention this. An avid film viewer such as myself noticed it only after two screenings, so perhaps more casual viewers have not.

This is a film that everyone should see at least once, if only to raise the low-brow standards that so many in our culture have embraced. Essential.

Rating:
Summary: Best Gun Battle EVER
Review: Heat is one of my all-time favorites. Checking in at a lengthy 2 hours and 52 minutes, Heat is full of story, full of action, full of menace and full of great, great music. Not many reviewers mention this, but the score is fantastic, the perfect accompaniment (except for one weak track leading into Al Pacino's meeting with Tone Loc in a night club, the low point of an otherwise fantastic movie). Even if you don't watch it for any other reason, watch it for the incredible and extensive running gun battle through the streets of LA, filmed before a similar rampage occurred years later in a case of life imitating art.

Robert De Niro as Neil leads a crew of professional criminals (Kilmer, Sizemore, Trejo) operating under the radar in the LA area. That is, until they employ some extra muscle for an armored car heist in the form of one Waingro. Turns out Waingro is a bit unbalanced, and can't help himself from killing one of the armored car guards; this forces a shootout that results in the death of the other guards, and subsequently attracts the attention of Al Pacino's LAPD detective Vincent Hannah and his own crew (Williamson, Studi, Levine et al).

The film's title comes from Neil's proclaimed modus operandi; don't keep anything in your life that you can't walk away from in 30 seconds if you feel the heat around the corner. Thus his house has no furniture, but metaphorically neither does his soul. He claims that he is alone, not lonely, but his eyes tell a different story as he observes Chris, Michael and Danny (Kilmer, Sizemore, Trejo) and their loved ones at a dinner. They all betray his philosophy, as will he.

The parallels between the lives of Neil and Vince are remarkable and moving. The detectives night on the town with their own families is less formal and glamorous than that of the criminals, and when Vince flee the storm of his third failed marriage, the only possession he claims as his own is a...little television set. The degrees of separation between the cops and the robbers are few but extreme.

After the armored car job, De Niro's crew feels so much heat that the soles of their shoes are melting. They just can't resist the lure of one more job together, however, a bank hit for some 12 million dollars; the need for this big score is driven primarily by gambling debts incurred by Val Kilmer's character Chris. They resist several opportunities and warnings to slip away from LA and Vince, committing themselves to a potential final showdown.

You'll recognize many familiar faces in Heat, namely Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, John Voight, Ashley Judd, Danny Trejo (Con Air), Mykelti Williamson (Forest Gump), Wes Studi (Last of the Mohicans), Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs), Natalie Portman, Hank Azaria, Tom Noonan (Manhunter), William Fichter (Perfect Storm), Henry Rollins, Amy Brenneman, and even Jeremy Piven sporting an awesome '70s porn star moustache as Doctor Bob. Almost everyone involved turns in a good performance, no real complaints unless you can't stand Pacino's typical over the top antics or Tone Loc's boorish gangster. I give Heat my highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: No character... but plenty of action
Review: This grossly over-rated film gets a lot of praise apparently because both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are in it. Both are fine actors... the problem is the movie itself. It's flashy and loud... filled with car chases and shoot-outs (including a ridiculous shoot-out in downtown LA) but no character development and very little in the way of intelligent dialog.

The film's director (Michael Mann) is largely to blame. He's a TV producer (Starsky & Hutch, Miami Vice)... and he did a great job on TV (particularly on M. Vice) but his flashy, herky-jerky style translates poorly to the big screen...

This noisy film just seems to go on forever... it it loud, manipulative, gratuitously violent and trigger-happy; and the two main stars never actually appear on camera together (the "rumour" is that they can't stand each other).

If you like testosterone-driven shoot outs and car crashes you might enjoy this film; if you want to see the talents of Mr. De Niro and Pacino at their best... I'd advise you to look elsewhere.

BTW... both of these fine actors have been in much better films... Check out Al Pacino in Sea of Love or Scarface. Check out Mr. De Niro in The Deer Hunter (excellent) or Taxi Driver.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Every now and then, Hollywood can surprise you with a good movie. This was one of them.

Michael Mann gives us a very beautiful and new perspective into the Cops and Robbers style movie. It pits two men, De Niro and Pacino, against each other in a game of wits. Both men provide some excellent performances, but not totally up to their best. Val Kilmer's role is by far the best, because it shows that the man can act. (Though recent films have said otherwise). The female roles are well-played, even the screwed up daughter played by Natalie Portman. All in all, this is a classic movie. The new-age French Connection.

Rating:
Summary: Top-notch action
Review: The crime film is not a new genre and it is not exactly lacking in quantity. That makes the fact that this movie is towards the very top of the field even more significant.

There is easily enough to make this a good movie, especially a great story and fantastic shoot-em-up action. What makes this movie move even higher is the duel of wits between Pacino's cop and DeNiro's thief. These two men are pros with great respect for each other yet without the hesitation to foil the other. This is a movie about smart people, and no one makes really stupid mistakes. This means that success or failure is dependent on the nature of the characters and some traces of luck.

This is not a very emotional story and many scenes play out realistically, not dramatically. In particular, the bank heist that forms the climactic moment of the story is coolly played out, with a minimum of situational music or strange cinematic effects.

Michael Mann has directed a number of movies, but this is, to me, his magnum opus. For fans of crime films, this is a must-see.

Rating:
Summary: Where was all the noise when this movie came out?
Review: This movie has got to be one of the under rated movies of all time. With great stars like Pacino and deNiro, how could this movie miss being nominated or even won an award for best action segment?

The parallelism between the two characters, Pacino, as a cop, and deNiro, as a leader of a robbery gang, was well written and executed by both actors. And the action? Well, if you havent seen a good firefight, wait till you see the bank heist scene. The sound effects were soooo realistic as they shoot it out on a major L.A. street. I own a laser disc copy and I'm quite happy about it. I bet the DVD copy's a lot better though. Michael Mann, you the man!

Rating:
Summary: Movie sizzle.. DVD extras fizzle...
Review: HEAT is one of the best crime dramas ever made! Director Michael Mann's saga is simply a tried and true tale of good versus evil. Al Pacino plays an L.A. cop, who leads a team, that is hot on the trail of a band of criminals. The bad guys are led by mastermind Robert De Niro. Mann tells the epic with such precision and skill, that it is just flawless, from start to finish. Even though Pacino and De NIro do not share much screen time, the film has so much going on, that it almost does not matter. When the two mega-stars do act in the same scene, everything crackles with intensity, that is is almost palpable. The supporting cast is first rate. Val Kilmer, Diane Venora, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, and JonVoight lead the way into putting this film in the "classic" catagory

The DVD is a major disappointment, due to the lack of any extras, save for a trailler and production info. I wish those in charge would consider a special edition reissue soon. The movie is a winner despite the DVD sans extras and should be part of anyone's film collection. Warner Home Entertainment GET CRACKING on HEAT 2 disc set!

Rating:
Summary: FLAWLESS
Review: I'M 14 YEARS OLD BUT I'VE SEEN ALOT MORE MOVIES THEN YOU THINK. MY FAVORITE GAME IS SIX STEPS TO KEVIN BACON. SOME PEOPLE SAY I WATCH TOO MANY MOVIES, AND I DO SO YOU HAVE TO TRUST ME ON THIS. tHIS MOVIE IS FANTASTIC. THE CAST IS GREAT (DENIRO, PACINO,KILMER.) IT'S ABOUT A LAPD OFFICER TRACKING DOWN A PROFESSIANAL ROBBER. THIS MOVIE HAS GREAT ACTION, AND DRAMA, AS WELL AS SOME SUSPENSE. tHIS IS A MUST-SEE FOR EVERYONE. THIS ONE'S A KEEPER. ADD THIS TO YOUR DVD COLLECTION RIGHT AWAY.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Movie, wish it had DTS soundtrack
Review: This is an amazing movie. I really don't need to go in to the details, since if you haven't heard about Heat already, you probably never will.

What I like to focus on is the audio quality of this movie. This is the first DVD that I purchased for my DVD player. I appreciate the Dolby Digital soundtrack, and it is one of the better ones that I have heard, but I would love to hear this with a DTS soundtrack. I couldn't imagine watching the bank hold-up scene with the expanded range that DTS provides!

I would however reccommend this movie, despite it's not having the DTS. It does well with Dolby Digital. And you won't be dissapointed.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: One of the better movies I have ever seen. Pacino and DeNiro are awesome. This movie should have gotten more pub. than it did. You have to see it.