Heat on DVD (1995)

A Classic

Mike Salt from Manchester , 27/06/2004

This film is undoubtedly a modern classic. Dark, violent & stylish. As usual, with Pacino on screen there's enough ham to terrify a boat load of vegetarians.

For me the only thing that stops this being the perfect crime noir film is the Hollywood ending. The bad must ultimately fall & good must triumph, you know they can't allow the bad guy to escape but the final showdown just didn't seem to belong in this film.

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Surprisingly Well Done

RockBottomWalsh from Warwickshire , 04/02/2004

I must state at the beginning of this that I am not really partial to action/thriller movies that were filmed in the mid 90s. I find that they are often trite with contrived plots and date very badly. So when I saw this movie it came as a very pleasent surprise.

"Heat" is beautifully shot with an eye for understatement which is conspicuously absent from most action movies. Michael Mann uses silence to great effect and this gives the whole film a unique feel and a strange tension that would have been ruined by an overbearing "actiony" score. The performances are also top notch from nearly all the principal and supporting actors. DeNiro and Pacino once again prove why they are revered throughout the acting community.

If this film has some weak moments they surely come when there are a few very stiffly acted romance sequences between Robert DeNiro and Amy Brennemen. That however is a small scrtch on what is otherwise a stirring and engaging crime thriller. This will not change your outlook on life but it is a very solid night's entertainment.

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Power & Tension

AndyMoore from Isle of Wight , 14/10/2003

This was one of the first DVDs I watched and is still one of the best films I have ever seen.

The pairing of Pacino and De Niro was well worth waiting for and the tension between them is obvious. Micheal Mann directs excellently and all the characters are well crafted. The legendary shoot-out is awesome and is one of the few occasions the DVD chapter selection is useful!

Watch!

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Gritty but no masterpiece

Monster from Smallville, UK , 02/07/2004

Just to see De Niro and Pacino together on the same screen is a good reason for seeing this film. But it is also thoughtful, violent and dark. Tense is not really the word to describe it as at moments you are about ready to claw your own scalp off. The shoot-out in the middle of the film is good but loses it's quality by being dragged on doubly as long as was necessary. Gritty film but no Masterpiece.

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overlooked perfection

C.C Baxter from UK , 26/12/2005

Anyone giving this less than maximum stars should give this film a second look. Mann has succeeded in producing a modern classic. I'm ashamed it's taken me nearly ten years to recognise it's brilliance. All the elements are there. Tight script. Strong cast. Characterisation. Performances (Even Val Kilmer shows he can act) Soundtrack. Cinematography. This film should get the credit it deserves.

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Pacino and De Niro lock horns in epic battle

Nicholas Carlton from Camden, England , 20/04/2006

Michael Mann's masterpiece and, with Miami Vice, the work of art he will be remembered for. Using a cool, steely aesthetic in Heat that can be recognised in his eponymous TV cop series, Mann pulled off the ultimate coup in persuading the world's best actors, Al Pacino and Robert de Niro, to classically pit their heavyweight frames against each other. To Mann's credit, he does not waste the mass of talent on offer to him, as Heat's complex structure and suspense are deftly handled. Not to mention some of the best action scenes in living memory. This film has so many memorable confrontations that iconic images spring out of your mind long after this film has finished.

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