Heat

UK Release Date: 02 February 1996

Certification: 15

Director: Michael Mann

Cast: Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Val Kilmer, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Natalie Portman, Tom Sizemore, Wes Studi, Diana Venora, Jon Voight

Rating: 97%

Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

Review:

Based on a true story, crime-heist classic, Heat, sees acting legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino come face to face on the big screen for the first time as a cunning bank robber (Neil McCauley) and a hardened cop (Vincent Hanna) respectively. 

There has never been a pair of actors people have wanted to see on screen more than Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and the end result definitely lived up to people's excitement. Al Pacino just about stood out to me as I thought he had brilliant comedic timing in the role. However, the scene most remembered in Heat is the diner scene, where instead of Neil and Vincent confronting each other in an epic gun fight they decide to sit down for a coffee as they both respect each other and would probably be good friends if one was on the other side of the law. What makes it even better is that the conversation happened in real life. 

The standout action set-piece in Heat is a heist scene that turns into one of the greatest gun fights of all time. Director, Michael Mann, used live blanks when shooting the scene instead of creating the sound effects in post production making the showdown much louder and more realistic. He also demanded actors partook in a three month training course that has seen statements thrown around that you can't be part of the military if you can't reload as fast as Val Kilmer's character.  

Elliot Goldenthal composes a lovely score. 'Heat' immediately transcends you into Mann's world, 'Force Marker' is an intellectual piece that stays at a steady tempo during the heist only cutting out when the first shots are fired and 'God Moving Over the Face of the Waters' is a brilliantly emotive piece that ends the movie on a high note. However saying all that Moby's work on Joy Division's 'New Dawn Fades' is the perfect song for a crime thriller, it's just able to get you into that mood.

Michael Mann's style is absolutely stunning. Even in gritty and grainy areas of Los Angeles, every single shot is beautiful. Each location set-piece has a feature that makes it that little bit more appealing and pleasant from an audience's point of view. 

Heat is nearly three hours long which can be off-putting at first and once watching can feel a little slow, as Mann takes time to develop characters and their relationships, but in reality it's paced really well. There is always a sense of tension as we care about every character as Mann does take the time to explore and humanise them.

One aspect of Heat that I didn't understand at all was Lauren's self-harm scene, who's played by a young Natalie Portman. It didn't help move along the plot and felt unnecessary to me.