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Heat [1995]


RRP: £18.99
Our Price: £3.39 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Having developed his skill as a master of contemporary crime drama, writer-director Michael Mann displayed every aspect of that mastery in Heat, an intelligent, character-driven thriller from 1995, which also marked the first onscreen pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The two great actors had played father and son in the separate time periods of The Godfather, Part II, but this was the first film in which the pair appeared together, and although their only scene together is brief, it's the riveting fulcrum of this high-tech cops-and-robbers scenario. De Niro plays a master thief with highly skilled partners (Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore) whose latest heist draws the attention of Pacino, playing a seasoned Los Angeles detective whose investigation reveals that cop and criminal lead similar lives. Both are so devoted to their professions that their personal lives are a disaster. Pacino's with a wife (Diane Venora) who cheats to avoid the reality of their desolate marriage; De Niro pays the price for a life with no outside connections; and Kilmer's wife (Ashley Judd) has all but given up hope that her husband will quit his criminal career. These are men obsessed, and as De Niro and Pacino know, they'll both do whatever's necessary to bring the other down.

Mann's brilliant screenplay explores these personal obsessions and sacrifices with absorbing insight, and the tension mounts with some of the most riveting action sequences ever filmed--most notably a daylight siege that turns downtown Los Angeles into a virtual war zone of automatic gunfire. At nearly three hours, Heat qualifies as a kind of intimate epic, certain to leave some viewers impatiently waiting for more action, but it's all part of Mann's compelling strategy. Heat is a true rarity: a crime thriller with equal measures of intense excitement and dramatic depth, giving De Niro and Pacino a prime showcase for their finely matched talents. --Jeff Shannon


Fantastic!!
Review date: 2008-08-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

I absolutely love this film. It has the perfect balance between action and drama and the performances are truely great. I love the fact that my two favourite actors (Pacino and DeNiro) are in it as enemies.

I cannot believe that some people have given it 1 star!!

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Reviews


Heat is a true rarity
Review date: 2008-05-07 Rating: 10 out of 10

Some say Michael Mann is an acquired taste. I say an appreciation of Mann's films, notably Heat, The Insider, Collateral, Ali, Thief and Manhunter, means you have taste. At sixty-three, he's a world-class filmmaker who's still breaking rules and rubbing nerves raw. The bottom line on this 1995 classic is that is a very smart, tightly paced, action-packed crime thriller with beautiful cinematography and great performances underscored by a compulsive tension that builds from frame one until the end of the movie.

This is a film for blokes; the bottom line on the females is that because the film is so unconventional and densely plotted, it left many of our make-up lovin' brethren in the dust. Too bad. They're all lined up to take shots at a film which can only be described as "rubbish" by a viewer who simply couldn't follow the bread crumbs.

This movie is the "best thriller of the last twenty years," UNCUT magazine; Nick James (award winning Journalist) wrote a book about the movie 7 years ago. To be completely honest, it took me two or three viewings to really appreciate how great the plot points worked together. But the movie moves so well.

Again, this is a great film for people who will appreciate the clever, intelligent way director/writer Michael Mann constructs the whole, however i believe Mann sometimes overreaches, such as including an unnecessary subplot involving a serial killer - Waingrove.

The soundtrack (available on Amazon) is astonishing and I found the music to be faultless as, like the moody backdrops, these added another dimension of drama and accent to the scenes. I know this review has wondered into the realms of awe-struck hero-worship, but I cannot praise this film enough. Bottom line - this is a movie for grownups, the rest need not bother.



One of the best films of the 90's
Review date: 2008-02-23 Rating: 10 out of 10

I am assuming I am commenting on this film for those who have not seen this film and for those people I pity you. Its a crime thriller. Won't describe the story as its not particularly original and not the best thing about this film. You've got Pacino and Deniro on screen in a film for the first and possibly last time which should be recommendation enough. Youv'e also got director Michael Mann at the top of his game. An awesome supporting cast firing on all cylinders. Arguably the best "shoot-out" in any film. What more do you want?

It's a long film but there is not one wasted scene in it. Even the incidental story lines - for example the recently paroled ex-cell mate of Deniro whose first job is in a "grill" working for a nasty exploitative boss and then ends-up as a stand-in getaway driver for Deniros crew. It just adds weight to the whole film. All the domestic dramas of the good-guys and the bad-guys that you wouldn't get in the typical cops and robbers film are shown in loving detail and nothing is rushed. Just makes it a more satisfying and involving film.

Mann who started his career on Miami Vice almost seems to be taking a trip back to the eighties with the soundtrack and styling of the film - almost but not quite.

If you still don't want to see the film after this then what the hells wrong with you?! Sit back and enjoy.

Fantastic Pairing of De Niro and Pacino
Review date: 2007-11-23 Rating: 10 out of 10

Most of the comments I've read here agree that this is a great movie. I have the same opinion. The coffee shop scene tells everything about this film: 5 STAR. The human side of the characters is perfectly explored, especially concerning De Niro's character (Neil). His personal conflicts are as strong as his determination and skills as a gangster. This is the magic of this film and only two fantastic actors like Pacino and De Niro could represent it so totally. Congratulations to Val Kilmer that shined and performed exceptionally well under the huge shadow of Pacino and De Niro. A must see !

The greatest film ever made
Review date: 2007-09-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

Possibly with the exception of deerhunter. The cinematography and soundtrack are phenomenal, de niro and pacino perfect. Nothing over the top, great boys cinema.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Al Pacino
Robert De Niro
Jon Voight
Tom Sizemore
Val Kilmer

Creators:
Al Pacino (Primary Contributor)
Robert De Niro (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900141925
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 1999-11-01
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 164 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1995-12-15
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Romanian (Subtitled)
Language: Bulgarian (Subtitled)

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