Heat (1 Viewer)

Does anyone else think that the movie Heat is one of the most awesome movies ever made? This one deserves the all out special edition treatment. Too bad Warner has it huh? If New Line owned it I bet it and Goodfellas would already be out in two disk glory.
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The EC
The Entertainment Cave
"Why did I get mixed up with that Bi$%?" "Cause shes got a GREAT ASS! And you got your head...ALL THE WAY UP IT. Ferocious aren't I?"

Is this the movie where Mike Knapp says that both DeNiro and Pacino were NEVER in the same scene at any time during the entire film? Oops, I see him coming now...
~Edwin

Darren, I couldn't agree with you more, brother...This movie was probably one of the most underrated new releases for 1995. I don't ever remember seeing a trailer for it (at the movies). It was obviously released for a very short time, before it went to video. I'm holding my breath for a new DVD SE!
"I'm talking to an empty telephone, 'cause there is a dead man on the other end of this fuckin' line."
"...Cause she's got a great ass...and you got your head all the way up it!"
"..I am double the worst trouble you ever thought of."

Heat is one of my all-time favorite movies and a movie that gets better with each viewing. It is a wonderful character study done in film noir style. If this would have been just another action movie, it would have ended right after the bank shoot-out, but it doesn't and we get a solid movie throughout.
It also has an outstanding cast. Robert De Niro is my favorite actor and Al Pacino isn't too far behind. The supporting cast doesn't miss a beat either--Tom Sizemore, Val Kilmer, John Voight, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Diane Venora, William Fichtner were all terrific!
If I have one complaint about the film, and it would be a small one, it is that the Dennis Haysbert character (Breedan) did not need developed to the degree he was.
Wow, what a terrific film! I know what I'll be watching this weekend.
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[Edited last by Tom_G on August 17, 2001 at 04:11 PM]

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
Spoileracino 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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Have you ever noticed anyone driving slower than you is an idiot? And anyone driving faster than you is a maniac!! - George Carlin
ICQ: 55259446 (or just search for "John Shaft"...can you dig?)

I enjoyed this film quite a bit.
What did it for me, though, was the bank heist scene and my reasons are all purely technical.
First and foremost: sound. Those guns sounded fairly realistic, the echoes of the gunfire from the surrounding buildings, the way the exchange almost sounded like something that you would hear from a CNN report from the Middle East.
Next: choreography (for lack of a better word). They weren't blasting away at each other from ten feet. They had a couple of blocks worth of space they were using. It literally was urban warfare for that scene.
Last but not least: direction. Michael Mann set up every shot during that sequence perfectly. The whole thing was composed incredibly well.
I had problems with the film. Not big ones, but just enough. That bank heist scene, though, made up for a lot.

I love HEAT! It's just a bonus that it contains one of the greatest shootouts in film history!
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Warner Bros. is officially dead to me.

Great movie!

Great movie! Shitty distributor!
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--Mike
Amazon Hot 100 DVD's

Mann doesn't really like extras on his films, in case you guys haven't noticed. Thief had a commentary, but none of his other discs do, and Mann's support on every one of his discs is not there, except for Thief.
Great film, just like every other Mann film.
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Joe Dahlen
"Take hold of the flame, you've got nothing to lose, but everything to gain."

Mann's best film in my mind... I found this thoroughly enjoying. The under story of work vs. family life was masterfully done...
Cheers,
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I guess I'm in the minority then in that I didn't think Heat was that hot. Someone posted earlier that the female characters weren't given much to do, and I would agree with that, though I thought Ashley Judd was pretty good. But the relationship between Amy Brenneman and Robert De Niro was pretty laughable. The two had zero chemistry together.
Also I thought the whole cop and criminal sharing a special bond thing was pretty cliched and done better in other films like The Killer and Out of Sight.

I would agree with that assessment, Michael. I would take it a step further and say that almost all of Natalie Portman's scenes should have been cut. Not saying they were bad scenes in their own right, but when cross-referenced to the rest of Heat, it came across as pointless meandering. The film ran nearly 3 hours and could have easily been pared down to almost 2 hrs and 15 minutes and lost none of its depth and power. Her character and her subplot in particular added nothing to the central story and only distracted me from the important theme...the crook versus the criminal. Even so, it still doesn't mar this terrific film enough to pull it from A-list material.
Bruce
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Welcome aboard the Satellite of Love

Excellent film!
Personally, I like the "New Dawn Fades" score by Moby as Pacino gets in the helicopter for the big meeting with DeNiro, as he's driving down the highway: kick ass song and a VERY atmospheric moment in the film.
IMHO.
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"...better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it". - Slater, True Romance

"..I am double the worst trouble you ever thought of."
Wasnt this in a deleted scene that was shown in a trailer? I want to see the deleted scenes SO BAD!! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!

I thought Portman's character definitely enhanced Pacino's side of the story. It added to the dynamic enough so that his 'relationship' story wasn't just a carbon copy of Deniro's. She could have been used in a few more scenes though, since she disappears for large portions of the picture.
But I like that Pacino's career choices not only affect Diane Venora's character, but her daughter as well. The girl's got one deadbeat dad who rejects her as is -- she's obviously gotten attached to Vincent enough that his actions may have traumatic effects on her. That his obsession with saving strangers inevitably leads to the (near) destruction
of those closest to him definitely adds to the film.
And I really liked that Mann didn't go for the obvious 'suicide-attempt-brings-the-family-together' ploy at the end. Rather, it cements the fact that the relationship is just too unhealthy to continue with.
The bummer part is that based on Venora's other actions in the film, you kind of get the idea that Vincent was the girl's best hope for a father figure. She's probably going to get more guys drifting in and out of her life. Of course, there's plenty of strip clubs in L.A. - so her adult life will at least be a well paid one. Crap, I listen to Dr. Drew too much.
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"Negative. I am a meat popsicle."

I feel this is the best crime saga movie ever made.
I regret I did not see this one on the big screen because after seeing it on video, I could only imagine how it would have been in theaters.
Regarding the SE question whether or not Warner would ever revisit this one, Let's just ask Warner on our chat with them next month and see what they have to say to a SE of Heat.
At least plant the seed,
Regards
Troy