For those still unfamiliar with “Heat,” the film tells the story of LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), who is on the trail of professional thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro). Hanna gets closer and closer to tracking down McCauley and permanently ending his gang’s heists, prompting them to plan a job that will eventually allow them to get away with crime once and for all. .
But as you might have guessed, things didn’t quite go to plan, with the cat-and-mouse game leading to some tense moments such as the legendary gunfight in downtown LA, and of course the moment. Carving Pacino’s climax as he yelled, “great!” in Hank Azaria’s face.
Imagine finally Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, who were Hollywood giants in 1995 but were never co-stars, end up starring together. Then imagine writing a script so layered, thoughtful, and so convincing that it actually responds to the hype about having these two superstars appear on screen together. Ah, it’s “Heat.”
Michael Mann made the film with two ambitious goals in mind: write a “college movie where there are really only two main characters” and let “size everyone.” That second goal gets to the heart of why “Heat” is so much more than just a crime movie, more of an action movie, and basically completely transcends the genre. The writer and director tried to exploit the depth of each character in this film, especially the “bad guys”. In fact, Mann is particularly interested in the so-called villains.
