The Heat is on!. Review on Heat Movie

Writer/producer/director Michael Mann created something of a milestone: a film in which Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were to appear on screen together since,The Godfather, Part II in 1974, but never shared screen time. Their few scenes together have a rather unusual quality. Their faces are never clearly shown simultaneously in any shot. During the car stop, Pacino's face is clear but Mann's shallow depth-of-field left De Niro's face out of focus. In the diner, we only see each face from over the other character's shoulder. And again at the airport, we don't see their faces on screen at the same time. Did Mann make some enigmatic artistic decision? Were both actors on location at the same time? I couldn't help being conscious of this issue as I watched Mann's exceptional crime drama, Heat.

Michael Mann's script and direction skillfully avoid cliches. He successfully brings a welcome complexity to what could have been a simple action/adventure or cops and robbers flick. The entire film is about this eminent collision. Mann couldn’t have done better than to cast the two best actors of a generation – arguably the best ever. There’s about a dozen Oscar nominations and three gold statues between Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. De Niro and Pacino are giants, but the supporting performances are also top notch.

Photography: Cinematographer Dante Spinotti’s principle photography spans sixty-five Los Angeles locations avoiding the use of sound stages entirely. This is an excellent looking film. The image retains a sharpness and clarity throughout the presentation, regardless of lighting key. Most images are in the dark or shadows. The look of the film is that of a shimmering blue and gray – presenting an icy, steely vision of LA. Colors are vivid, and very nicely rendered. Shadow detail is excellent in all lighting keys. Flesh tones look natural in all lighting keys. Throughout the feature, brightness and contrast levels are excellent and consistent.

Editing: I have always said that the most difficult parts of a movie to edit are the action sequences and this is one cut just too brilliantly! A superb combination of all the elements, photography, sound, music etc. everything is so finely juxtaposed, my! How I would love to see the technicians at work! The highlights of Heat are the extraordinary action sequences which punctuate the character development and interaction scenes. The most notable is the center piece – the interrupted bank heist. This is arguably the best scene of its kind to make it to the screen in decades. Essentially its an old out war on a busy street in downtown LA. The marvel of the scene is the brilliant pacing – how it begins quiet, but with white-knuckled tension. As McCauley and his crew work the bank they move about smoothly, but always seem on the verge of lashing and gunning down customers. “Just sit there. Don’t move. Let it bleed” McCauley says to a stunned bank officer. Elliot Goldenthal’s music ticks away like a clock, marking the paces as the cool thieves bag the loot. Soon we’re made aware that Hanna and his men are en route- having being tipped off. The music continues to tick away – same pace, same volume. And then, all hell breaks lose, when Shiherlis spies a pair of officers across the street and opens up with automatic gunfire. The music stops ticking – the planning and calculation that went into the operation is shattered.

This is where the pace explodes, and the editing of Dov Hoenig and Pasquale Buba, takes over. What a masterful piece of work this is. This is such a chaotic scene with gunfire from every direction. The thieves are driving and then on foot, and Hanna and his men are in pursuit. The street is blocked by a score of cruisers and there seems to be no way out. What’s so amazing is we sense the madness and mayhem, but the sequence is cut together in such a way that we know where all the characters are, and where they’re headed. In lesser hands, this scene could’ve been confusing. But with Hoeing and Buba’s work, we never lose orientation. With Goldenthal’s music halted, all we hear is gunfire, echoes, metal shredded by the hail of bullets, shattering glass, sirens, and near constant screaming from bystanders caught in the crossfire. The soundtrack is frighteningly real. For a real taste – try playing the scene with your eyes closed, and just listen to the sounds. Scary stuff. One Shiherlis is wounded, the music begins again, with deep pulses of bass. It hustles along as the sequence races to an abrupt end when Hanna takes aim and drops one of the thieves. Then all is silent, except for a deep breath exhaled by the detective. Intelligent, slick and crisp editing!

Sound Design: Incredible recording. The forward stage is deep and very wide – reaching around completely to merge with the split surrounds. The action sequences, the robbery scene center piece are well-mixed. There’s a deep punch from the speakers early in the film when the thieves shape charge blows open the armored truck. The pulse can also be heard in the surrounds before it quickly pans forward to the front mains and is followed by shattering glass as the concussion wave hammers the windshields in a nearby auto lot. The mix mated with the bank heist sequence is an astounding accomplishment. Panning effects and sound effects placement are smooth and accurate. Clinking dishes within a restaurant, volleys of gunfire are deeply anchored with thumps and they resonate with echoes heard from all positions. Shattering glass and the sounds of metal being punctured at left and right and over each shoulder. The more subtle sounds, like shell casings hitting pavement, and the metallic click of a magazine pushed into a rifle, are clear and very well placed within the surround field. This is impressive stuff. Dialogue is well recorded and integrated across the forward stage. Voices sound full and natural. Elliot Goldenthal’s music, a study in subtle but very effective scoring, is well recorded and expansive.

Direction : Mann uses inventive camera work, brief moments of slo-mo, hand held footage, expert editing, sound effects, and music, to sustain an amazing, gripping sequence. Most of these tools are expertly applied during the film’s finale as well. Mann has used music better than most directors, anyone who has seen The Last of the Mohicans will remember that the most memorable sequences are backed by a marvelous score written by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman.

After having watched this exceptional film carefully, do I think De Niro and Pacino were actually working together? In my humble opinion, the out-of-focus face of the actor seated in the car is indeed Robert De Niro's. Early in the diner scene, as the camera was trained on De Niro's face, the actor with his back to the lens turns his head slightly to the right. Pacino's characteristic cheekbone structure and coloring become visible briefly. So my vote is Yes, DeNiro and Pacino worked eyeball to eyeball. If I'm wrong, Michael Mann is one hell of a clever director!

P.S. Due to space constraints, much of the material on acting and plot couldn’t be added.