• Release Date: 2009-11-10
• Genre: Thriller
• Artist Name: Hank Azaria, Robert De Niro, William Fichtner, Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Judd, Val Kilmer, Ted Levine, Tom Noonan, Al Pacino, Tom Sizemore, Wes Studi, Tone-Loc, Danny Trejo, Diane Venora, Mykelti Williamson, Bud Cort, Jon Voight, Kevin Gage, Natalie Portman, Amy Brenneman
• Director: Michael Mann
• AMG Rating:
• MPAA Rating: R
• Category: Feature Films
• Cautions: Violence, Adult Situations, Profanity
• Year: 1995
• Running Time: 172
• Movie Country of Origin: USA
• Available Language: English
• Subtitles: Eng/Fre/Spa/Ger/Por
  

A successful career criminal considers getting out of the business after one last score, while an obsessive cop desperately tries to put him behind bars in this intelligent thriller written and directed by Michael Mann. Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is a thief who specializes in big, risky jobs, such as banks and armored cars. He's very good at what he does; he's bright, methodical, and has honed his skills as a thief at the expense of his personal life, vowing never to get involved in a relationship from which he couldn't walk away in 30 seconds. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) is an L.A.P.D. detective determined to catch McCauley, but while McCauley's personal code has forced him to do without a wife and children, Hanna's dedication has made a wreck of the home he's tried to have; he's been divorced twice, he's all but a stranger to his third wife, and he has no idea how to reach out to his troubled step-daughter. While McCauley has enough money to retire and is planning to move to New Zealand, he loves the thrill of robbery as much as the profit, and is blocking out plans for one more job; meanwhile, he's met a woman, Eady (Amy Brenneman), whom he's not so sure he can walk away from. The supporting cast includes Val Kilmer as Chris, one of McCauley's partners; Ashley Judd as his wife Charlene; Jon Voight as Nate; Hank Azaria as Alan Marciano; and Henry Rollins as Hugh, who is beaten up by Hanna. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Thriller, Action

Criminal's Revenge, One Last Heist, Rogue Cops, Bank Robbery

Tense, Visceral, Somber, Bleak, Slick, Atmospheric

DVD Features

• New Content Changes Supervised by Director Michael Mann
• Commentary by Writer/Producer/Director Michael Mann
• 11 Additional Scenes
• 5 Revealing Documentaries
• True Crime: Recalling the Real-Life Chicago Cop and Criminal Whose Exploits Inspired the Movie
• Crime Stories: The Screenplay's 20-Year History and How the Movie Finally Got Greenlit
• Into the Fire: Filming in L.A., Cast Training, Shooting the Climactic Downtown Heist and Post-Production
• Pacino and De Niro: The Conversation: Anatomy of This Historic On-Screen Showdown
• Return to the Scene of the Crime: Revisiting the Film's Real-Life L.A. Locations Years Later

DVD Chapters

• None SpecifiedNone Specified

Review

Prior to Michael Mann's stylish crime epic, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro had appeared in only one film together, The Godfather Part II, in which they never appeared in the same scenes. Their combined star power was one of Heat's major selling points, but there's also more to the film than their onscreen meeting. As he did in Thief, Manhunter, and Last of the Mohicans, Mann ladles on a rich, visceral atmosphere. The impressive shoot-out sequence on the streets of Los Angeles has an operatic resonance that would make Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, or even John Woo proud. Mann's slick direction is matched by Elliot Goldenthal's driving score and the glistening cinematography of Dante Spinotti. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi