Heat is a pretty great movie, though not without its flaws.
A lot of characters just drift in and out of the movie...the women especially (Diane Venora, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, Amy Brennerman, etc.). It's almost like Michael Mann had no idea what to do with them.
And I know this going to viewed as sacrilage by some, but Al Pacino was just flat out horrible. It's almost like they took his character from
Scent of A Woman, gave him eyesight and sent him on his way. Because that's exactly how he plays both roles:
saying something really quietly, THEN SHOUTING IT OUT REAL LOUD!. During the part where
| Spoiler: |
| Pacino killed De Niro's character |
I was half-expecting Pacino to say "hoo-hah!"
But I digress.
Heat remains a fine film, and certainly should be applauded for its ambition. The directing, editing, cinematography and especially music (love those pieces by Brian Eno and Moby) are first-rate.
Sigh...remember when NBC aired this film, and they REJECTED Mann's proposal to spread it out over two nights with additional footage? I would've loved to have seen that. Here's to hoping he'll revisit
Heat someday on DVD in a director's cut, much like he did
Manhunter and
Last of the Mohicans.
(Sidenote: has anybody seen Mann's
L.A. Takedown, which from what I hear is an earlier version of
Heat? I'd like to hear anybody's views on that movie.)
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