Michael Mann's Heat is a seismic semaphore, a conjunction of the best available, a saga of crime involving the two greatest actors of the last 30 years. Indeed, epic is perhaps the most unlikely word for a film that runs some 2hrs and 40mins long. As much as it is about crime, Mann's masterpiece is about the consequences of crime and the repercussions on the families of those involved in crime, on both sides of the law.

As McCauley (De Niro) sets up his next major score, Hanna (Pacino) traces his footsteps with unrelenting passion “I've got three dead bodies on the street, I'm sorry if the damn chicken got overcooked” he says to his wife. Unlike many of the noirish thrillers both actors have been involved, Heat provides the viewer with a rather likeable depiction of Los Angeles. The sprawling metropolis is captured in its glory; the seedy underbelly is laid to rest. Mann's film thrives on the sonic and visual indulgence he creates.

Much has been said of the standoff between the two giants, Pacino and De Niro. Mann cleverly makes us wait and wait and wait. Half way into the film, the titans come head on, in the most unlikely of places – a coffee shop. Mann only did one take on this scene to get the full flavour of the Pacino vs De Niro effect and it comes off wonderfully. The scene buzzes with electricity on every level, from the dialogue to the finest of nuances on the faces of Pacino and De Niro, it is indeed a true testament to the acting calibre of the two.

As the investigation proceeds, both Hanna's and McCauley's worlds start falling apart. Hanna's third marriage comes to a precipice and topples. McCauley's new found love finds her self betrayed to and both the protagonists are torn between their profession and their personal lives. Indeed, the ultimate message of Mann's film is that robbers and cops are much the same. He wonderfully exemplifies this with the final stages of the film where Hanna and McCauley hunt shadows and almost end up shooting themselves – one is the shadow of the other, Mann seems to prophesise.

The operatic shooting in the streets of CBD Los Angeles has a deft touch to it. Nothing is solved and the denouement doesn’t occur straight after, Mann’s directorial vision comes to the fore and unlike so many he doesn’t slip into the tempting waters of mediocrity. Much of his character studies seem typical, yet they work so convincingly and are meticulously crafted that this is a forgivable flaw.

Pacino and De Niro only see each other twice, once in the coffee shop and once later on, both these meetings are on a placid note, yet both these meetings are extremely powerful. Needless to say, they both act with cold precision. Cops and robbers are bread and butter to these men, but they bring home another distinctive outing. De Niro, is chillingly wonderful as Neil McCauley and this is perhaps his last definitive role in the last 10 years. Seeing De Niro relegate himself to prankish comedies is an exercise in mediocrity for a man who along with Pacino defined a generation.

Pacino also shines in this film but the viewer will appreciate that this isn’t his best outing, he has done better work. Regardless, a slightly above average Pacino is still heads and shoulders above the rest of Hollywood with a few notable exceptions. Pacino, unlike De Niro, in the last 10 year (after Heat) has brought to his resume a deliciously exciting body of work and more is to come.

Mann’s film brings the best of opera, cinema, theatre and music into a mix that is socially alert as it is vigilant. This is among the best films of the 1990s.

This entry was posted by Blogpur, on Saturday, October 01, 2005. You can leave your response.