Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Danny Trejo, Dennis Haysbert, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Amy Brennaman, Ashley Judd, Diane Venora, Natalie Portman
Heat is the study of two professionals who excel at their jobs. One of those professionals is an expert armed robber, but that does not stop the cop on his tail from admiring his work. Still, these men must act according to their nature. Respect does not play into this. It is a luxury neither can afford. Heat examines these men who do not exist without their jobs. They have little room for joy or family. They spend their off hours itching to get back to work again. It is a sad, lonely existence, even in Los Angeles.
Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro occupy the same screen for the first time in their careers. They co-starred in The Godfather Part II, but did not share any scenes. Both have played cops and/or criminals so often they could be honorary members of the police force or the mob. They do it so well. Heat is a prime example. DeNiro is Neil McCauley, a career criminal who organizes and carries out carefully planned heists with nothing left to chance. His last heist would have gone off without any sort of trail, except for a trigger-happy cohort who kills a bank security guard. This gives the cops a slim lead to go on, but it is a lead. Neil beats the crap out of his cohort, but he escapes before Neil can kill him.
The detective on the case is Vincent Hanna (Pacino), who admires the efficiency of Neil's work, even if he doesn't know who he is just yet. "These guys are good, real good," he says as he examines the crime scene. Hanna is determined to catch his foe, even at the expense of a crumbling home life caused by his perpetual absence. Neil is not married and has no family, but he sees a possible alternative to his criminal life with a young woman he meets. He falls for her, but he always recalls the advice given to him by his friend and mentor Nate (Voight): "Don't take on anything you can't leave behind in thirty seconds flat." For Neil, up to now, these were words to live by.
Heat mercilessly focuses on the toll the job takes on Vincent and Neil. Vincent's stepdaughter attempts suicide, while his wife laments and damns him for his marriage to his job. For Vincent, being a cop isn't just a job. It is his being. If he could spend 24 hours a day doing it, he would. Neil has made serious money off of his scores and could retire at any time. But retire to what? His partners tell him, "It's the juice. It's the action." Neil agrees. He gets a jolt out of the action more. It is true that he has generated more exposure on himself than ever before, but that doesn't stop him from trying another heist.
Heat takes its time examining the lives of its characters. It has action and suspense, including a loud, terrifying shootout in the middle of a busy Los Angeles street. We care about the outcome because Michael Mann invests thought and time into his people. The ending will not be tidy because Vincent and Neil can not go against their grain. Neil could have gotten away clean, but the lure of taking care of one last piece of unfinished business is too much to resist. It costs him. The price Vincent pays to catch Neil is one many would not pay. He does pay it because it would go against his nature not to.
DeNiro and Pacino give us some of their best work in Heat. They are wounded pros who can't (or won't) escape their fates. They would rather die than go against how they are wired. For one or more of these people, that is what happens.
No comments:
Post a Comment