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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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41 - 55 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

If there's one thing Michael Mann knows how to do, it's create tension.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Hal Hinson
Hal Hinson
Washington Post

... a colossal disappointment.

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

Heat has an impressively strong script by Mann, and he backs it up with gorgeous filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

The cast and the performances in Heat are awesome.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

Director Michael Mann has created a masterpiece.

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

What sets this film somewhat apart from numerous other films with similar plots is Mann's deliberate pacing.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

As the credits finally rolled, someone behind me muttered, "That was so long, DeNiro could have gone to prison in the first scene and finished his sentence before the movie was over."

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael J. Doyle
Michael J. Doyle
rec.arts.movies.reviews

For a film that deserves Oscars for photography, editing, sound and arguably scoring, Heat is packed with unforgettable subcharacters.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today

... fast-paced and exciting despite a nearly three-hour length.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Pat Kramer
Pat Kramer
Boxoffice Magazine

All this adds good weight and tension to the movie and provides a lot of very good actors with the opportunity to do honest, probing work in a context where, typically, less will do.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

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

Heat generates lots of energy but gives off little light.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Sean Means
Sean Means
Film.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

Boosters and touts use the term 'major movie' so often that it's more likely to generate yawns than excitement at this point. Back to basics. Heat is a major movie. With major stars. Doing major acting.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
 
 
41 - 55 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text 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...

See All

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