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| Heat [Blu-ray] | ![Heat [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KmxWd95TL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Michael Mann
Actors: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
Category: DVD
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  512 reviews
Media: Blu-ray
Running Time: 171
ASIN: B0017HRJ04
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Amazon.com essential video
Having developed his skill as a master of contemporary crime drama, writer-director Michael Mann displayed every aspect of that mastery in this 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, the film 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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 507 more reviews...
 Heat is HOT! January 4, 2009
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It is not often that a movie will stay in print for over ten years. The few that do are usually classics from Hollywood's golden age, blockbusters or multiple Oscar films. Heat has none of these credentials. No Oscars, while it did well at the box office it is not a top grosser and it is not from the golden age. What can this film offer that keeps it in print?
First, this is a superior caper movie. The screenplay and dialog are first rate with no false notes.
Second, the casting is wonderful! This is the first pairing of De Niro & Pacino, two excellent actors that are always fun to watch. One possible disappointment is how little time the two are together. After that is an inspired supporting cast. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Diane Venora, Natalie Portman & Amy Brenneman are uniformly excellent in their roles. Each one is completely believable with no false notes. Add to this a host of faces that you recognize at once and you have one of the most professional move cast ever.
Third, the action sequences are outstanding! The armored car robbery is very well done. The main shootout is one of the best on film. It ranks with Bonnie & Clyde or The Wild Bunch.
Last, you get a lot of move for your money. This is not one of those 88-minute quickies that rush from title to end credits. They take the time to develop characters, make them real, tell the story and add a WOW factor. The subplots work and add to the characters and the main story. However, the movie never drags, your attention never falters as this excellent cast works with an excellent script.
Superlative January 4, 2009
PLOT
A gang of elite thieves are eventually overcome by elite detectives. Loved ones on both sides are affected by the process, as are various underworld figures and the Los Angeles public.
REVIEW
John Walker, during his turn as sole contributor to Halliwell's Film Guide, docked this film several marks for creating an inappropriate allegory between the lives and minds of criminals and the lives and minds of police. Yet this allegory does not sufficiently taint Michael Mann's intricate, character-driven and highly developed crime thriller.
An epic cast play rugged, cool-headed leading men; their smart, feisty, genuinely attractive women; and a chorus of sleazy, doom-destined underworld figures. In particular, Al Pacino's character displays some hilarious neuroses as the damaged lead detective; while the sleek, understated chemistry of the core criminal gang, played by Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore and Danny Trejo, is superior even to that of the Wild Bunch.
Mann finds time to display his seasoned knowledge of police procedure and criminal code, while acknowledging the inescapable forces of love, retribution and chaos. Above all, however, the film is to be commended for several key action sequences that are guaranteed to greatly excite the vast majority of discerning viewers.
ELEPHANT STAMPS
Michael Mann for writing.
Michael Mann for direction.
A Classic January 3, 2009
I won't spend much time rehashing the praise other reviewers have given this film. I will say that there is a sense of destiny in the conclusion; the ending seems an inevitable result of the character's choices, and their choices seem foregone aspects of the "stuff they're made of".
There's a subtle mythic quality about Heat, more felt than realized.
 The hour of the Mann... December 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
`Heat' is lauded as one of the greatest crime epics ever; a triumph of acting, directing and screen writing. I personally wasn't able to see this film for the longest time. I guess I shouldn't say `wasn't able'; I just never got around to it. Finally, after all the poking and prodding from friends, I sat down to digest this supposed masterpiece and was able to draw my own conclusions on the matter.
Very, very good.
Notice I didn't say masterpiece; but it is very close. I have a few issues with the film, mostly due to some aspects of the script and one particular performance, but for the most part `Heat' is extremely well done. Michael Mann is probably one of our greatest working directors and this is his Mona Lisa. He graciously allows the camera to flow through each scene, collecting important details that not only map out the visual feast of bullets and bodies, but he is delicate enough to allow us to come to know the characters intimately, painting a portrait of reality instead of a collage of carnage. Sure, the films most notable sequence is one of bloodshed (the whole daylight shootout is spectacularly shot) but Mann is equally invested in the homelife of his anti-heroes which only adds layers to the films core.
`Heat' tells the story of master thief Neil McCauley. Neil is on the verge of retirement, but before he slips away he wants to make one more heist. Lt. Vincent Hanna is desperately trying to nail him. The film is basically a game of cat and mouse between thief and cop as they track each other. Mann makes sure to get deep into the heart of both characters, as well as their partners; especially McCauley's right hand man Chris Shiherlis who is having marital problems of his own.
My one issue with the script comes in the form of Eady, the love interest of Neil. I personally found her character arc forced a tad. It felt out of place even though it served as a major plot point in the films finale. It just felt unnecessary to me.
For the most part the acting is superb here. De Niro was still making worthwhile films and delivering within them, so his portrayal of McCauley is the films major highlight. He gives Neil a stark humanity that makes him someone we can relate to and feel for. Val Kilmer does some impressive work (he had such promise) here as Chris, but his scenes are stolen from him by Ashley Judd who is more than phenomenal as his conflicted wife Charlene. Tom Sizemore is always dependable in these type roles, and Diane Verona is flawless as Vincent's bitter wife Justine. That brings me to Pacino. Why does he feel like he has to scream about everything? I mean really, he used to be one of the greatest actors of all time and then it was like all of a sudden he decided that he didn't have to try anymore. He's more than annoying; he's frustrating. There are glimmers here of his natural charm, but he muddles it up by trying to be `larger than life' and he just winds up being `beyond annoying'.
Maybe I'm just picking, but whatever.
Overall the film is a very, very good one; a great one at that. I highly recommend it for the few faults are easily looked over for the many highlights. Michael Mann has crafted a smart and engaging crime epic that is as beautiful as it is enjoyable to watch.
The Best in every aspect December 15, 2008
I have never seen a great movie than this.
The pace is great,the storyline is fantastic and it keeps u guessing till the end how it ever ends.
Well Of course its Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.A* list actors with a cool sense.I am glad to have watched this on DVD.
Its great.The picture us clear and perfect.The sound,5.1, makes you jump out of your seat.Somehow, whenever a Warner Bros dvd is released,it always has better sound and picture quality then other dvd producer(giving sony entertainment an exception).
If you have yet to watch,this is highly recommended.Its a movie that is released once in a lifetime.
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