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 | Armored Car Robbery | Police | Robbery | Blood

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:

171 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 | UK:18 (original rating) | 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:

The character of Nate, played by Jon Voight, is based on real-life former career criminal Edward Bunker.

Goofs:

Continuity: Jessica's green stockings appear and disappear.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

Soundtrack:

Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra

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.