Heat (DVD, 2007)

Having developed his skill as a master of contemporary crime drama, writer-director Michael Mann displayed every aspect of that mastery in this intelligent, character-driven thriller from 1995, which also marked the first onscreen pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The two great actors had played father and son in the separate time periods of The Godfather, Part II, but this was the first film in which the pair appeared together, and although their only scene together is brief, it's the riveting fulcrum of this high-tech cops-and-robbers scenario. De Niro plays a master thief with highly skilled partners (Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore) whose latest heist draws the attention of Pacino, playing a seasoned Los Angeles detective whose investigation reveals that cop and criminal lead similar lives. Both are so devoted to their professions that their personal lives are a disaster. Pacino's with a wife (Diane Venora) who cheats to avoid the reality of their desolate marriage; De Niro pays the price for a life with no outside connections; and Kilmer's wife (Ashley Judd) has all but given up hope that her husband will quit his criminal career. These are men obsessed, and as De Niro and Pacino know, they'll both do whatever's necessary to bring the other down. Mann's brilliant screenplay explores these personal obsessions and sacrifices with absorbing insight, and the tension mounts with some of the most riveting action sequences ever filmed--most notably a daylight siege that turns downtown Los Angeles into a virtual war zone of automatic gunfire. At nearly three hours, the film qualifies as a kind of intimate epic, certain to leave some viewers impatiently waiting for more action, but it's all part of Mann's compelling strategy. Heat is a true rarity: a crime thriller with equal measures of intense excitement and dramatic depth, giving De Niro and Pacino a prime showcase for their finely matched talents.


An L.A. cop (Al Pacino) becomes fixated on a deadly thief (Robert Dinero) and his crew ( Val Kilmer & Jon Voight) who are taking Los Angeles to the cleaners. This movie includes one of the most spectacular shoot outs in film history as Dinero and Kilmer rip through downtown Los Angeles with both guns blazing.

If you have not seen this movie you are in for a treat. This movie is award winning quality. The story, directing, cinematography, acting, etc. are all excellent. It is definitely an action movie with scenes of violence. However, it is also a drama in the sense that you are truly drawn into the characters. You know you have found a great movie when you find yourself torn between the lives of the "bad guys" and "good guys", not knowing who you would rather see prevail. I could go on and on about this movie as it is one of my all time favorites, right there with Terminator 2. If you are looking for just a shoot em up bang bang movie without much plot this is not the movie for you... this is a true tale of life, love, crime, turmoil, and impossible decisions. Not to mention the heists are very intelligent and baffle the police.

On of the best heist films of all time. Great cast fit for the role and two big time players head the 'cops' and 'robbers' sides, Pacino and De Niro. Talk about some of the most intense shooting scenes in film history.

hi this movie in my opinion is one of the best crime movies ever made i mean where else can you see 2 of the best actors to ever live on one screen Robert Deniro is like a god to me and Al Pacino is perfect Pacino plays a hard working detective investigating a series of top notch robberies by a highly skilled crew run by Deniro and the action ever stops in this movie

This is a movie that will live on forever....love it!!!! This movie is the all time favorite for anyone who likes to see people get shot, plot thickness and anything that involves action, action, action.
Robert Deniro is human, Al Pacino is someone people can relate to.