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It stands up well, mostly, because of Mann’s slick,
refined, awe-inspiring direction, which, well, he brings to
each film he does. Heat, for one, would probably still
be a great film – thanks to it’s awesome cast and
steady script – but like sprinkles on a choc-top, it’s
made all the more tasty thanks to its extra special ingredient.
Based on – but no doubt fluffed for the sake of entertainment
– a tale of a true life crook and copper, Heat
cast dual powerhouse De Niro as an uber-intelligent thief
named Neil McCauley and Pacino as his equally smart adversary,
Detective Vincent Hanna. When one of McCauley’s player’s
slips up, Hanna picks up the crook’s scent and thus begins
an exhilarating and prolonged game of cat and mouse.
If they weren’t on opposite sides of the law, McCauley
and Hannah would probably be good friends – they’re
both very alike in their ways, fighting similar demons, wrestling
analogous ongoing problems on their home turf - but in anyone
else’s hands than De Niro and Pacino would these similarities,
susceptibility and twofold likeabilities shine through as
much as it does here? Doubtfully.
In short, the two are top of their game, and when they ultimately
come face-to-face (they only share a couple of scenes together
– the key one being a conversation in a diner) it’s
so real, and so gripping, you’ll need pliers to cut the
Velcro away.
But as aforementioned, a star in it’s own right is Mann’s
direction – it is crisper than a barbecue shape. The
wides, the lighting, the scope of the picture – it’s
like cleaning a murky PC screen with Screen Cleaning Wipes
– it only brings out the picture more.
Heat still burns, and the DVD’s hotter than a
sunburnt steering wheel.
DVD Extras
“Heat” was one of the first DVD’s to be released,
and if you’ve got a copy of that first release, you’ll
know it shows: only ample sound and vision and next to nothing
in a spot normally reserved for extra specials. At long last,
the 2-disc special edition makes its way onto the market.
Michael Mann provides commentary on the first disc, and although
it’s not as riveting as some may have hoped, it’s
still an informative track.
Over on Disc 2, there’s a bunch of goodies: a comprehensive
three-part 'making of' that encompasses nearly every aspect
of the production – it’s inspiration, the casting,
the locations, the shoot.
Then there’s a piece on the scene where De Niro and
Pacino come face to face for the first time, which takes the
scene apart bit by bit and examines it. There are 11 deleted
scenes (running about a minute each), and also an interesting
featurette where we return to some of the L.A locations used
for the film.
Conclusion: Movie 85% Extras 70%
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