Heat

"A guy told me one time, 'Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner." - Neil McCauley. .Heat is one of those films that is rare in a world where Hollywood's action films focus on the biggest budgets for the explosions and violence rather than the story it is trying to tell its audience. Heat is a story of the duality of men caught up in their professions that they lose track of what surrounds them. Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) are both addicts to their own downfalls; they are both the hunter and the hunted. For them, it's the inability to escape what they would both view as justice, one in the illegal aspect and the other in line with the law. Hanna struggles with balancing his relationships and the law, even on nights with his wife, Hanna finds himself back on the case. McCauley is similar; he can't balance letting people into his life and living the life he enjoys. When he finally lets someone he loves in, that love ultimately becomes his downfall. .But the film doesn't just focus on Pacino & De Niro, it focuses on the people who revolve around their lives. The film already boasts a stacked cast with its two leads, but the rest of the cast still stands strong, including Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Amy Brenneman, Diane Venora, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Dennis Haysbert, Mykelti Williamson, and Danny Trejo. The decisions of our two lead actors play a significant role in shaping the lives of the rest of these characters. From the deaths of Breedan and Michael Cheritto (Dennis Haysbert, Tom Sizemore), the escape of Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), the betrayal of Eady (Amy Brenneman), etc. Their decisions, actions, etc, all come back to hurt them in the end because they bring them to the film's final crucial moment. The chase between McCaulle and Hanna, where our characters decide whether they're willing to put whatever they have to give justice to their actions, being able to put an end to the gun at the end of the barrel. .Michael Mann takes such simple steps to help make the film feel real in a way that most action films today miss. 1. Sound, while the film drives itself on music, Mann uses silence and real-life noise to his advantage. The iconic gun fight in the streets uses real gunshots, which brings us into the action as if we are running with them. 2. Color, the film utilizes a dull and dark color palette in a way that reflects the world around them. Even in the daytime, LA is pale, grey, draining, and at night, the twinkling nights of the city are the only thing lighting up the nighttime sky. 3. Attention to minute detail, Mann makes sure what he says or hints at pays off in a big way. This includes making McCaulley's choice to leave exactly 30 seconds, the choice for Hanna to go home, the light from the plane, or even the reloading of a gun. Everything feels calculated and executed perfectly..But in the end, what I love about Heat is how it tells this very broad story in 3 hours. Granted, it's been a long time, but the film can let the audience cruise along and enjoy it. I've only seen 3 of Michael Mann's films (Collateral, Ford vs. Ferrari, and Smokey & the Bandit), but they have all been very enjoyable watches despite all 3 being very different films from one another. Heat remains iconic today; its influence is all over, especially in The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan and, oddly enough, Grand Theft Auto V. It's clear Mann loves what he does; the work put into this movie is nuts, and I can't really describe it all because I don't even know how to put it into enough words. I'm going to have to rewatch this film, but it is 100% going in my top 10. It's chaotic, it's action-packed, dramatic, and an all-around thriller that gives the audience a satisfactory ending. 5/5 'Nough said.