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Heat

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Heat (1995)

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Reviews Counted:55

Fresh:48

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.7/10

Runtime: 4 hrs 17 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: "Never have anything in your life you can't walk out on in thirty seconds..." is the motto of expert thief Neil McCauley (De Niro). After his next break-in, McCauley plans to retire from his outlaw... "Never have anything in your life you can't walk out on in thirty seconds..." is the motto of expert thief Neil McCauley (De Niro). After his next break-in, McCauley plans to retire from his outlaw life and move to New Zealand. However, Vincent Hanna (Pacino), a Los Angeles police detective, obsessively tracks McCauley's gang of thieves, who have left three security guards dead in an armored truck robbery. As the detective gets closer to tracking them down, the crooks plan another big heist, this time at a bank. Hanna soon gets a lead that helps him determine the identity of the criminal mastermind who engineered the thefts, and discovers McCauley is a man as driven and relentless as the detective himself. Although he doesn't have enough evidence against the thief to make an arrest, Hanna convinces McCauley to join him for coffee, at which point the two engage in casual conversation and discover that their lives are remarkably similar. However, each man makes it clear he'll kill the other if necessary. Though they know the police are closing in on them, McCauley and his men risk going through with the bank job. A violent shoot-out and car chase result, but the criminals escape. Hanna continues to pursue them unceasingly, at the expense of his already-crumbling marriage. Eventually Hanna and McCauley face each other for the last time in a thrilling showdown at the Los Angeles airport. With HEAT, director Michael Mann achieves the nearly impossible task of making three hours go by in a flash with his use of the hand-held camera for action scenes and a moody score that echoes the characters' emotions. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, and others play characters that are also crucial to the plot, but never distract from the central conflict between McCauley and Hanna. The acting is outstanding, the story is riveting and the action scenes are breathtaking. Both De Niro and Pacino are perfect as two men driven to sacrifice nearly everything for their respective professions. With edge-of-your-seat action and insightful drama, HEAT is a crime film at its most intense and personal. [More]

Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore

Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Natalie Portman

Director: Michael Mann

Director: Michael Mann

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 27, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Heat

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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...one of the greatest crime films of all time.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment 3 Comments
02/23/05
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Film Threat

... a colossal disappointment.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Michael Mann's writing and direction elevate this material. It's not just an action picture.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

All the squealing tires, flying bullets and falling bodies cannot save Heat from drowning in its own banalities ...

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Andrew Ross
Andrew Ross
Salon.com

There isn't much to recommend this movie until Pacino and De Niro finally share the first of their two scenes together.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner

It is a remarkably powerful, entertaining and invigorating piece of cinema that hits on more levels than seemingly possible.

Full Review Source: Cinematic Reflections | comment 1 Comment
04/23/05
Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Cinematic Reflections

The director's signature sleek and romantic aesthetic is reason enough to take a seat for this operatic three-hour marathon.

Full Review Source: AskMen.com | comment 1 Comment
04/28/09
Radheyan Simonpillai
Radheyan Simonpillai
AskMen.com

You can't tell what's important and what isn't, and some may mistake the movie's incoherence for profundity.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Heat runs (sometime crawls) 2:51, but there is really only enough material for two hours.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

It's a gorgeous valentine to its three leads -- neither Pacino, De Niro nor Los Angeles has ever looked better -- that backs up its style with real substance.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Quite rightly, this confirmed Mann as one of Hollywood's smartest, most stylish and emotionally articulate directors.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/27/09
Channel 4 Film

The cop/ crime stuff that makes up the bulk of the movie is well thought out and well directed.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Andy Spletzer
Andy Spletzer
Film.com

No review available.

comment Comment
05/27/03
Blake French
Blake French
NutzWorld

As notable as the cinematography is De Niro's performance, which helps you remember why he became a legend in the first place.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

[F]ans of the two stars will probably find it worth their while.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

... while the sometimes hard-to-follow script often demands too much of the viewer, this film is one that's truly worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

With De Niro and Pacino in excellent form, Mann's Heat ignites the screen.

comment Comment
01/23/06
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

This is a movie about chemistry, straight up.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia City Paper | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Philadelphia City Paper

Riveting cops-and-robbers tale.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
04/24/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

As with his other works, [Mann] binds sound, music and pictures into one hypnotic triaxial cable and plugs it right into your brain. He makes this almost-three-hour experience practically glide by.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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Latest News for Heat

September 17, 2009: Five Favourite Films with Nick Love
Nick Love isn't known for heart. The film which earned him his "From the director of..." title card, The Football Factory, is nothing if not violent, loud and not particularly... More...

October 25, 2007: Mann to Direct De Niro in Frankie Machine
Robert De Niro is returning to his Mafia roots -- and Michael Mann is taking him there. More...

September 04, 2007: De Niro, Pacino Get Company in Righteous Kill
Film fans had to wait decades to see Robert De Niro and Al Pacino share scenes in 1995's Heat. Their second act -- next year's Righteous Kill -- is coming together much more... More...

May 18, 2007: De Niro and Pacino ... Back Together Again!
Fans of "The Godfather Part 2" and "Heat" may want to read this: Looks like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are about to reunite to make another crime thriller.... More...

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