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Heat : The Movie & More (2 Disc Special Edition) [1995]


RRP: £9.99
Our Price: £3.98 (subject to change)

Heat = a true rarity
Review date: 2008-11-01 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 for females viewers is that because the film is so unconventional and densely plotted, it may leave many of our X-Factor lovin' brethren in the dust. Too bad. Some reviewers on Amazon are all lined up to take shots at a film which can only be described as "over-rated; rubbish" by a viewer who simply couldn't follow the bread crumbs.


This movie is the "best thriller of the last twenty five years," UNCUT magazine; Nick James (award winning Journalist) actually wrote a book about the movie 8 years ago; 'nuff said. To be completely honest, it took me two or three viewings to really appreciate how great the plot points worked together.


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 grownup blokes, the rest need not bother.

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Reviews


The best crime movie ever?
Review date: 2007-06-23 Rating: 10 out of 10

Theres not much I can add to what has already been said. However if by some miracle you've missed this film over the last 12 years then here is a quick overview of one of the best crime movies ever made.

Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro star as respectively dedicated cop and master criminal. Pacino as Cop Vincent Hanna is so dedicated that he neglects his family and his 3rd marraige is falling apart. DeNiro as Neil McCauley is a man who is prepared to walk away from any relationship in order to maintain his criminal lifestyle. Many people have asked who is the better actor is this film. Well lets be clear here both are excellent, and I like both actors, they are amongst the best who ever lived. For my money though DeNiro steals it in perhaps his last great performance. Pacino just overplays his part just a little bit which allows me to give it to DeNiro - but only just.

The remainder of the cast are excellent and Michael Mann directs with his usual skill. Some of the action sequences in this film are brilliantly done. I recently saw Mission Impossible III, which has some impressive action sequences in it but they aren't in the same league as the ones in this film. Why? Because Heat does not rely on CGI effects and the camerawork is vastly superior. Furthermore action sequences do not need to contain explosions every 30 seconds to make them work.

The extras on this version are pretty good. There are the usual selection of documentarys and an audio commentary. However the main reason to buy this is the film. Its quite long at 164mins but you will find that it passes very quickly - always the sign of a good film.


Amazing
Review date: 2006-09-21 Rating: 10 out of 10

This film is fantastic. There's no better word. Just Fantastic, superb actors, great director and scenes your eyes want to eat the screen with. Extras are brill too. Buy it!!

"All I am is what I'm going after."
Review date: 2006-08-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

Two men on opposite sides of the law, both loners obsessed by what they do. Two of contemporary cinema's greatest actors, facing off for the first time in their 30+ year-long careers. A director with an impeccable sense of style. And a tremendous cast, whose every member delivers a truly stunning performance. These are some of the ingredients that elevate Michael Mann's "Heat" high above any average thriller.

The film's mood is set from the very first camera shots, following Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) from a subway station to a hospital, to drive off with an ambulance he'll be using in his crew's next score. While we don't hear him speak a single word, his movements alone are unquestionably those of a leader; a man in absolute control of every situation. Like many of "Heat"'s crucial scenes (including the two lead characters' sole face-to-face encounters in a coffee shop and during the grand finale), the opening shots are set at night; and the hard contrast between almost black darkness and brightly shining neon lights thus established from the start is soon revealed as a hallmark of the movie's cinematography. One of the next shots shows McCauley's adversary-to-be, homicide Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) making love to his wife (Diane Venora). But afterwards there is no coziness; no conversation and no joint breakfast. Their relationship is disintegrating and, although fully aware that his obsession with his job is turning his life into a "disaster zone," it is ultimately Vincent who sacrifices it to that very obsession. Similarly, Neil has adopted a discipline of never letting himself get attached to anything he can't "walk out on in 30 seconds flat" if he feels the heat coming on: a discipline looming in the background even of his growing feelings for Eady (Amy Brenneman), with whom he has gotten involved against the instinct that told him to treat their encounter as a one-night-stand. Also troubled is the relationship between Neil's friend Chris (Val Kilmer) and his wife Charlene (Ashley Judd); but there it is Chris who wants to hold on to their marriage, whereas Charlene, no longer able to cope with his gambling and immaturity, wants out, although she still clearly loves him.

Vincent and Neil are pitted against each other after an armored car holdup of Neil's crew goes awry when a new man named Waingro (Kevin Gage), who will soon be revealed as a ruthless serial killer, escalates the robbery by shooting one of the guards. Knowing that they are now all up for first-degree murder, the gang don't hesitate to kill the other guards, so as not to leave a living witness. Yet, with the police on their trail they still plan two more scores; one at the Precious Metals Depository and one at a downtown bank, the latter of which in particular proves fatal when it ends in a shootout turning L.A.'s business district into a virtual war zone. Further complications arise out of Neil's attempt to sell the bearer bonds stolen in the holdup back to their owner, a shady businessman named Van Zant (William Fichtner), who ultimately pays a high price for underestimating him.

Shortly before the bank heist, Vincent and Neil have a brief but crucial encounter in a coffee shop; and what has heretofore been mere respect developed from afar grows into a feeling of empathy and kinship when they discover their similarities. Yet, neither is willing to cross the lines: He won't like it, Vincent ultimately tells Neil, but if it's between Neil and "some poor [guy] whose wife you are going to turn into a widow, brother, you are going down." Neil responds that on that coin's flip side, he, too, won't hesitate to kill Vincent if he gets in his way. And with their positions thus established, the action is up and almost never lets off again, until they meet again during their final chase over LAX's airfield.

"Heat" is a self-described "Los Angeles crime saga," which by implication almost necessarily means that it's not characterized by down-to-earth realism; nor does it strive to be. Of course you do *not* walk away from a midday shootout with what looks like the better part of the LAPD's Central precinct (and unquestionably the movie's saddest unintended consequence was the real-life shootout provoked in imitation of this scene a few years later). Of course it's doubtful that guys like Vincent and Neil would ever sit down together over coffee - more likely, their encounter would have brought about Neil's arrest for murder, as Vincent by this time arguably had probable cause. Of course a real cop's loyalty would always be with his colleagues, and even respect for an adversary like Neil wouldn't propel him to hold his hand, after that same adversary had shot several of his fellow policemen. But all this is ultimately beside the point. This movie's entire dynamics are driven by the antagonism between its unexpectedly similar protagonists; and on that basis, their mutual feelings of empathy and even brotherhood are entirely credible.

The pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino was a dream finally come true; for their performances alone, "Heat" deserves highest honors. While Pacino is his usual self as a supercharged bundle of dynamite, De Niro shows incredible (mannerism-free!) control, contrasting Pacino's bursts of temper with a chilling coolness that can nevertheless flip into ruthless violence in a split second, or into tenderness and emotion in his scenes with Eady. They are complemented by the stellar ensemble cast, also including, inter alia, Natalie Portman in her U.S. film debut as Vincent's troubled stepdaughter (after her very first appearance alongside Jean Reno in Luc Besson's "Leon"), John Voight and Tom Sizemore as Neil's associates Nate and Michael, Hank Azaria as Charlene's love interest and Mykelti Williamson and Wes Studi as Vincent's fellow cops. All in all, this is a truly outstanding production - and despite almost 3 hours' running time, not a minute too long.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Natalie Portman
Al Pacino
Jon Voight
Val Kilmer
Robert De Niro

Creators:
Al Pacino (Primary Contributor)
Jon Voight (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321905289196
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Box set, PAL, Special Edition,
Release date: 2006-08-07
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 163 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1995
Language: English (Original Language)

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