Heat (1995)

A group of professional bank robbers start to feel the heat from police when they unknowingly leave a clue at their latest heist.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writer:

Michael Mann

Stars:

Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer

Top Rated Movies #121 | 13 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Hunters and their prey--Neil and his professional criminal crew hunt to score big money targets (banks, vaults, armored cars) and are, in turn, hunted by Lt. Vincent Hanna and his team of cops in the Robbery/Homicide police division. A botched job puts Hanna onto their trail while they regroup and try to put together one last big 'retirement' score. Neil and Vincent are similar in many ways, including their troubled personal lives. At a crucial moment in his life, Neil disobeys the dictum taught to him long ago by his criminal mentor--'Never have anything in your life that you can't walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner'--as he falls in love. Thus the stage is set for the suspenseful ending....

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Plot Keywords:

gun battle | honor | bank | armored car robbery | child in jeopardy | 

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Taglines:

An L.A. Redemption

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

15 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heat

Filming Locations:

Venice Boulevard at Georgia Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,445,656, 17 December 1995

Gross USA:

$67,436,818

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$187,436,818

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises, Forward Pass

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jean Reno was considered for the role of Chris Shiherlis.

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Goofs

McCauley is proficient enough in the combat use of firearms to do brass checks (e.g. when he prepares to shoot Waingro). Yet when Hanna stops him and asks him if he'd join him for a cup of coffee, he hides a cocked SIG P 22x-series pistol between himself and his car seat. Only someone completely unfamiliar with this sidearm would do this, as it is very unsafe (the gun's only external safety is a decocking lever and cocked, it has a very light and short trigger pull).

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

The television version aired by NBC on January 3, 1999 was disowned by director Michael Mann and credited to "Alan Smithee" because, though Mann offered to reinstate 17 minutes of deleted footage in the film to make it fit a four-hour time slot, NBC decided to excise over 40 minutes of footage from the theatrical release in order to make it fit a three-hour slot (including commercials).

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Connections

References Rififi (1955)

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Soundtracks

The Mighty Limpopo
Written and Performed by William Orbit
Courtesy of I.R.S. Records

User Reviews

One Of The Best Crime Films Ever

I really believe this is one the great crime movies of all time. It has some drawbacks that wouldn't make me recommend this for family viewing - tons of f- words by Al Pacino and a few bloody scenes, but as far as a fascinating crime story: wow!

This movie made modern-day history because it was the first time two of the great actors of this generation - Pacino and Robert De Niro - finally acted together in the same film. Those two didn't disappoint, either. They were great to watch and one of the huge highlights of the film, to me, was when they faced each other in a simple conversation over a cup of coffee. That conversation has always fascinated me, no matter how many times I've heard it. It was such a "landmark" scene that It's even the subject of a short documentary on the special-edition DVD.

As with the conversation scene, the shootout segment in the streets of Los Angeles still astounds me no matter how many times I see it. The other action scenes are intense and memorable, too, and the cast in here is deep. This isn't just Pacino and De Niro. It's Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, Diana Venora, Natlie Portman, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenamann, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Mykelti Williamson, on and on.

Put that fabulous cast under Michael Mann, one of the best directors in business, add a great soundtrack and interesting camera-work and you have a great film. At three hours long, it never bores one and at same time, doesn't overdo the action, either. I read one critic criticize this film because of the time taken to examine the personal lives of the main characters, but you can't have three hours of nothing but action. The only scene I felt went on a bit too long was the ending chase at the airport, but that's nitpicking considering the film as a whole.

This is just one of those movies where a great cast and director live up to their billing.