Heat

Being a Michael Mann film, Heat displayed a high focus around Mann’s signature stylised crime dramas that packed a lot of heat. The film particularly played to its strengths with the character interactions particularly between De Niro and Al Pacino’s characters (and mainly with De Niro and Al Pacino). However, throughout their conversations where the two share an aspect about their life whether it be struggles or motivation I can’t help but feel that this was very lack lustre. It was as if it was being pulled out of thin air. Granted with so many different plot lines happening at the same time and characters and their personalities and motivations all happening in a measly 2:40 run time it would be completely understandable that this would happen. It also left a lot more interesting plot lines either undeveloped or not finished. Which then just begs the question? Why even have these many characters and plot lines to begin with only for it to be underdeveloped or put on a chopping block shortly after. It’s like as if the film utilised its strength but instead of focusing on its quality of its strength it focused on its quantity of strength instead thus making me personally feel that after the big shoot out that the film had just ran out of memory. Like why focus on quantity when you can further the quality? In short? When Mann was cooking… boy was he cooking. There’s no doubt about that. But my God the imperfections were just so frustrating because here he is basically serving up a Michelin star meal throughout the movie and then he sprinkles in something that’s just bleugh.