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Movies / On DVD / Heat
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]

Reviews for Heat

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 27 2009 09:38 AM

Channel 4 Film

tomato

Geoff Andrew

This is simply the best American crime movie -- and indeed, one of the finest movies, period -- in over a decade.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 09 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
4/5

Nick Hilditch

Taken altogether, Mann doesn't do anything particularly new, but with a subtly used supporting cast he combines everything into an unusually articulate action thriller.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 17 2001 09:48 PM

BBC

tomato
8/10

John J. Puccio

I have always wondered if Pacino and De Niro flipped a coin before the movie began shooting to see which of them would play which part?

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 30 2009 10:41 AM

DVDTown.com

tomato
7/10

Tim Brayton

A slow-moving, overburdened, well-meant and at times quite entertaining slog.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 19 2009 11:51 PM

Antagony & Ecstasy

tomato
90/100

Radheyan Simonpillai

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

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Apr., 28 2009 11:42 AM

AskMen.com

tomato

Todd McCarthy

Heat occupies an exalted position among the countless contemporary crime films.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 16 2008 03:15 AM

Variety

tomato
5/5

Pablo Villaca

Fascinante por se concentrar em dois homens que, obcecados por suas profissões, acabam dependendo um do outro justamente por não saberem fazer outra coisa.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 16 2008 11:10 PM

Cinema em Cena

tomato
3/4

Peter Travers

Robert De Niro's last great role before he devoted himself to self-parody.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 14 2007 03:15 AM

Rolling Stone

tomato
8/10

Chuck O'Leary

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

comment Comment | Jan., 23 2006 03:40 PM

Fantastica Daily

tomato
B+

Nick Schager

De Niro delivers a frightening vision of frosty criminal efficiency.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2005 10:12 AM

Lessons of Darkness

tomato
90/100

Derek Smith

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

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Apr., 23 2005 03:32 AM

Cinematic Reflections

tomato
3/4

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Heat Heat has an intoxicating, seductive look and feel, and if viewers can check their brains at the door, it succeeds on a surface level.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 21 2005 10:15 PM

Combustible Celluloid

tomato
5/5

Chris Barsanti

...one of the greatest crime films of all time.

Full Review Source: | comment 3 Comments | Feb., 23 2005 10:23 AM

Film Threat

tomato
4/4

Jeremiah Kipp

Echoes the tradition of American individualists.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 21 2005 05:19 PM

Slant Magazine

tomato
3.5/4

Michael Dequina

An insightful dramatic look at the relationship between cops, criminals, and the women in their lives.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 05 2004 01:42 PM

TheMovieReport.com

tomato
B+

Dennis Schwartz

Riveting cops-and-robbers tale.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 24 2004 11:05 AM

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

tomato
8/10

Dragan Antulov

The action, just like in any great film, is subservient to plot and characters.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 05 2004 12:51 PM

rec.arts.movies.reviews

tomato
4/4

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: | comment Comment | Jul., 30 2003 05:05 PM

TV Guide's Movie Guide

tomato
4/5

Blake French

No review available.

comment Comment | May., 27 2003 09:37 PM

NutzWorld

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

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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