A cast of actors that would make any studio cry with envy
You’ve seen this story before. It’s a simple tale of a cop and his crew playing ‘cat and mouse’ with a robber and his crew. The story that Michael Mann put together is nothing more than that from the outside looking in.
Heat is a more detailed viewpoint of two separate, yet very similar lives of our protagonist and antagonist. The depth of each character goes beyond the regular scope of these types of films. Generally, you learn about the two main characters and you get the regular ‘head-to-head’ match with them at the end of a movie and ‘bam!’ that’s it; that’s basic filmmaking. The difference here is that the depth just isn’t in the two main characters. Sure you get to know that Al Pacino’s Lt. Vincent Hanna is a man dedicated to his job, who keeps what he sees on a day-to-day basis away from his wife and family. You understand that he would leave a party to go help solve a series of murders and robberies in the drop of a hat. On the flip side, you understand that Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley is a driven man who does a ‘job’ well. He does it precise and will leave a ‘job’ if he feels the heat coming around the corner. He sees only the next gig and nothing else. Most importantly, Neil McCauley won’t let anyone get in his way. All of this is developed and explained in great detail.
I know what you’re thinking; yes I’ve seen that type of depth before. Here’s where the real separation begins and where Michael Mann differs from the rest. Beyond the two main characters there are a slew of minor characters behind them that are as equally detailed. You have Val Kilmer’s Chris, who is married to Ashley Judd’s Charlene. Chris plays a perfect opposite of McCauley. He has everything that McCauley wants, but also nothing that McCauley can have. You also have characters like Jon Voight’s Nate who sets everything up for McCauley, and helps guide him through different gigs. Nate is only onscreen for a mere 10 minutes at best, but you get who he is and how he lives. Mann delivers strong characters to an even stronger story.
The man who made us all fall in love with Crockett and Tubbs (Miami Vice for you young folks) lives the glitz of a high-rolling robber to the wind and tells us a straight story through these indestructibly strong characters. This movie runs 170 minutes, but I’ve never met anyone who thought that was too long. For the most part, people who watch the film believe that 170 minutes is too short. The build from nothing to something and the inevitable crossing of the paths from each side makes this film nearly flawless. You need proof for this statement? Look no further than the last 40 minutes of the film. The last 40 minutes starts with a gigantic gunfight in the middle of Los Angeles where you have a firm belief that the bad guys are going to get it. Mann doesn’t conclude his masterpiece with such drivel as he splits some characters off into their own conclusions. You see Chris make his peace with his wife. You have McCauley do what he swore to himself he wouldn’t. Most of all, you see the complete destruction of Hanna, regardless if he finally gets his man or not. There is no ‘ride off into the sunset’ for these characters and most of all there is no clear winner.
Simply put, Mann made this powerful and perfect. To date, this is Mann’s best film and he has made some damn good ones.
I could ramble on and on about this man and his talent, but I’ll spare your eyes.
Moving on, Warner Brothers has respectfully put this on blu-ray for you and you should thank them. The visual prowess that this carries on DVD is only enhanced ten fold by upgrading it to HD. Unrivaled visuals only lead into what can be considered disturbingly good audio. The gunfight in Los Angeles is gorgeous, well as gorgeous as a gunfight can be, in Dolby TrueHD. Hell, even Pacino’s obnoxiously random shouts in the film will make you say ‘damn this is good’.
Added to the package is a set of solid features. Here’s what you’re getting:
· Commentary by Michael Mann
· The Making of Heat
· Pacino and De Niro: The Conversation
· Return to the Scene of the Crime
· Deleted Scenes
· Theatrical Trailers
The commentary is a young filmmaker’s dream come true. You’ll also get some good things from ‘The Making of’ featurette. The infamous conversation is explained as well (there are dozens of myths about it) and the rest of the list is pretty good as well. This isn’t the best list, but it’s attached to a top 10 movie of all-time. You needn’t worry about the entertainment.
