On DVD (1995). Rated R, 172 minutes. Trailer.
I saw Heat in the theater in 1995, but given its pedigree (written and directed by Michael Mann) and cast (Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Jon Voight, Val Kilmer), I owed it another (long) viewing. I remembered that the film felt like a chore most of the time, and my memory was correct. Despite fabulously well-written male lead characters and a good soundtrack, the bulk of this good film felt like work. Click below for more Heat:
The film follows disciplined and sophisticated thief Neil (De Niro) and bombastic and obsessive detective Vincent (Pacino) as they both work opposite sides of the law leading up to a major heist. Mann is basically examining the nature of men and their attraction to 'action' or heat. They need relationships and connections, but those things compromise their ability to be the best at what they do - in the end their true natures win out and the women and kids are left to the side. I certainly have a different perspective now than I did in 1995 and those themes are dead-on to the modern predicament of men everywhere.
Why is this such a slog? I can't really answer that except that most scenes are set in darkness and De Niro's character is too impenetrable to give life to the film. Mann's use of blue and reds and different lighting to mirror the emotions of the characters is really interesting, and the shoot-out scenes are typically awesome as in every other Mann film. I remember the big deal when this came out was the first scenes ever with Pacino and De Niro together, and they are cool to watch - but that's only about 15 of 172 minutes.
Lots of recognizable faces including Ashley Judd along with Natalie Portman, Jeremy Piven, Wes Studi, Buffalo Bill, the All State guy, Bubba Gump, William Fichtner and Amy Brenneman (dowdy on purpose?).
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Heat - B+
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2 comments:
I thought I knew what kind of job you had. How did this feel like work?
A for me, but this has made me realize that I'm some kind of Michael Mann groupie. Besides Ali, everything else is an A or A-. Thanks for making me feel like a whore.
On first viewing, I had problems with Pacino's performance and thought his domestic problems should have been cut out. But I've grown to love it over the years. He is, in fact, right about everything. Yes, you can get killed walking your doggie. And Ms. Judd does, indeed, have a great ass. And Mr. Azaria was all up in it.
I love De Niro's character - I have much of the same mindset. I love Voight and Noonan and Kilmer and there isn't a bad scene for me.
My only complaint is that I wish the De Niro - Pacino face-off scene would have included a two-shot rather than shot-reverse shot so we would see them on screen together. We shouldn't have had to wait for Righteous Kill for that.
Also, I wish the original 1989 TV version of the story (LA Takedown) was available so I could compare and see what Mann took out, added, etc.
I re-watched this in the last year and liked it a lot. It did feel long, but not as long as it did when I saw it in college. I do really relate to the issues. I think it's fair to say that Mann is, fittingly, the pre-eminent filmmaker looking at what it means to be a man. It's an A-, probably, for me. here's a fun song by DJ Shadow that i've liked for a long time that uses heat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xm635QeTM0
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