Heat (1995)

Director:

Michael Mann

Writer (WGA):

Michael Mann (written by)

Release Date:

15 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A Los Angeles crime saga.

Plot:

A Los Angeles crime saga, "Heat" focuses on the lives of two men on opposite sides of the law - one a detective; the other a thief.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Police | Robbery | Armored Car Robbery | Shower

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Lt. Vincent Hanna
Robert De Niro	...	Neil McCauley
Val Kilmer	...	Chris Shiherlis
Jon Voight	...	Nate
Tom Sizemore	...	Michael Cheritto
Diane Venora	...	Justine Hanna
Amy Brenneman	...	Eady
Ashley Judd	...	Charlene Shiherlis
Mykelti Williamson	...	Sergeant Drucker
Wes Studi	...	Detective Casals
Ted Levine	...	Bosko
Dennis Haysbert	...	Donald Breedan
William Fichtner	...	Roger Van Zant
Natalie Portman	...	Lauren Gustafson
Tom Noonan	...	Kelso

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

170 min | USA:188 min (original pre-aired NBC version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #34160) | Belgium:16 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 (re-rating) (2005) | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

444 S. Flower Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

In the UK, the film was given a '15' rating for both its cinema and video release and passed uncut in both instances. It was re-released in 2000 with a new 'Underground Epics' video cover, bearing an '18' certificate. However, this was not a different version of the film - the content was the same as the '15' version. The '18' certificate was a mistake, and the video cover was withdrawn.

Goofs:

Continuity: Vincent's hair and Neil's shirt collar during the cafe confrontation scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Construction Clerk: Check, charge, or cash?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Scream (2003)

Soundtrack:

Late Evening In Jersey

Captivating

Micheal Manns'(director of 'The Insider', and 'Manhunter') smooth, straightforward direction is studded with brilliant and very memorable cinematic gems in 'Heat', A bullet riddled drama with, yes , Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in their first on screen meeting.

What do you want to hear about 'Heat'. Is it DeNiro's best performance? No. Is it Pacino's best performance? I'd be lying if I said it was. Do the performances improve the story? Absolutely. Mann has written (he wrote it as well) a complex and exciting two-sided story that develops the hunter Vincent Hanna (Pacino) and the hunted Neil McCauley (De Niro) separately throughout much of the film. Underneath a hail of bullets Mann is able to paint both lead characters with the same brush by delving into the similarly tragic and chaotic personal lives of Hanna and McCauley, allowing for the final epic scene, which would have been too pretentious if it were not for the excellent performances of Pacino and De Niro.

Bottom Line: Not having seen this movie is akin to idiocy for anyone claiming to be a fan of movies. 9 out of 10