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RTTP: Michael Mann's Heat (1995)

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
sazqHSp.gif


Listen while you read

Caught a screening of this film in Boston last night to promote the upcoming Blu-ray release. It was preceded by a live broadcast Q&A with Mann which was interesting enough although looking around for information about the film it seems that a lot of what he said about it not being a genre film etc is basically the same stuff he's been saying about it for at least a decade. Last time I saw Heat I think I was in high school, a long time ago. Back then I didn't really have the patience for it honestly, I thought all the action was excellent but it is a very long film and man, I was like 17.

So it took me this long to revisit Heat.


Holy shit this movie is excellent.

Everything every character does in Heat is so precise and intentional, calculated. I swear Kilmer had ice water for blood during filming. The night shots are absolutely gorgeous, the soundtrack is super cool and (egh, hate this word...) atmospheric, and those drama bits that I nearly fast-forwarded through as a kid, although some of the writing is a little hammy, those scenes fill out these characters beyond being just dumb husks that wave guns around when the other shoe drops.

I am a bit mixed about Pacino's performance though, he really is on full-Pacino just fuckin shouting and in general being a loon. The audience was cracking up at a lot of his delivery and even the way he went down the stairs after leaving the hospital towards the end. Pacino gonna Pacino, and I'm not sure the film would have been better with another lead, but considering how somber much of Heat is, I kinda wish he showed some reservation.

It was a late showing and it's a long movie but it felt like Heat put me in a trance, I haven't seen Thief but I've seen Manhunter and Collateral and some Miami Vice and I feel that Heat is Mann's opus. It'd be interesting to catch that movie he did about hackers or whatever two years ago.
 

Begbie

Member
Please watch Thief. It holds up well and Tangerine Dream did the score so you'll get hints of GTA while watching. Also, Pacino has indicated he played his character as if he was on coke all the time which is why he is always at 11.
 
Even as a young kid I had the attention span to appreciate this movie. Still in my top 5 movies. That song by Moby......amazing!
 

Nielm

Member
heat.jpg


I saw this recently for the first time, the Director's Definitive Edition on Blu-Ray.

What a movie, I thought Collateral was good, but this is even better. It has one of my favorite endings of any movie I've seen, and of course, you can't forget that shootout scene.

A fantastic soundtrack too:

William Orbit - The Last Lagoon
Brian Eno - Force Marker
Moby - New Dawn Fades
Ending Music Film Version
Moby - God Moving Over The Face Of The Water

Overall, it's a meticulously crafted crime thriller with plenty of emotion, great dialogue, and fantastic performances by Pacino and De Niro, everyone was great in it. It's one of my favorite movies now. You can also see the clear similarities to The Dark Knight.
 

AdamT

Member
I was there as well! The wife and I had an excellent time. It's one of our favorite films, so it was a special occasion for us. I thought Mann's nonchalant comment about casing banks in character with "Al and Bob" was hilarious and also interesting how much dedication he and the actors had for the film.

I recommend Thief. It borrows visual and audio elements of Manhunter and Heat. Plus, the soundtrack is great.
 

Sojgat

Member

Heats action set pieces are pretty much peerless. A perfect cohesion of authentic staging, tension, music, and flawless execution. The most interesting thing about the rest of the movie is that Jerry Trimble plays one of the cops. It's bloated and kind of boring, even if it is drowning in atmosphere.

L.A. Takedown, on the other hand, is a tight, raw thriller that effortlessly achieves the naturalistic aesthetic Mann has strived for his entire career simply by virtue of being a low budget TV movie. Yeah, the performances are... of a different quality, but it's still overall the better movie IMO.
 

mortal

Banned
Gorgeous, gorgeous film with solid cinematography and sound design. As you mentioned, a very nice soundtrack on top of that.

It just oozes cool.
 

master15

Member
Heat remains one of those peerless films in the genre. There is so much to love about the film but what I really appreciate is the scope and a chance to explore the diversions and side stories of some of the lesser players.

It'd be interesting to catch that movie he did about hackers or whatever two years ago.

If you like Mann's best work; Heat, The Insider, Collateral prepare to be utterly disappointed. Between this and Public Enemies, I frankly don't know what the hell he's been doing because his output has been extremely disappointing on multiple levels. I've actually come to love Miami Vice, if that counts for anything.
 

Borgnine

MBA in pussy licensing and rights management
Upcoming blu-ray? What have I been watching this whole time? Also for me, the action is the juice.
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
Did they talk about the coffee shop scene at all?

Yeah, some stuff about how tight the camera work was and how everyone knew it was the scene.

Please watch Thief. It holds up well and Tangerine Dream did the score so you'll get hints of GTA while watching. Also, Pacino has indicated he played his character as if he was on coke all the time which is why he is always at 11.

I didn't know Tangerine Dream was in GTA but I have seen Mann's THE KEEP which Tangerine Dream did the music for. I love James Caan so Thief has been on my list for a while.

Upcoming blu-ray? What have I been watching this whole time?

I can't tell if this is a serious comment. That there is an upcoming Blu-ray release does not mean it is the first Blu-ray release.
 
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