Themes: One Last Heist, Criminal's Revenge, Bank Robbery
Main Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora
Release Year: 1995
Country: US
Run Time: 172 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
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, All Movie Guide
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, All Movie Guide
Amy Brenneman - Eady; Ashley Judd - Charlene; Mykelti Williamson - Det. Drucker; Ted Levine - Bosko; Wes Studi - Det. Casals; Tom Noonan - Kelso; Danny Trejo - Trejo; Dennis Haysbert - Breedan; William Fichtner - Van Zant; Hank Azaria - Alan Marciano; Kevin Gage - Waingro; Natalie Portman - Lauren; Tone-Loc - Richard Torena; Bud Cort - Solenko; Xander Berkeley - Ralph; Ray Buktenica - Timmons; Martin Ferrero - Construction Clerk; Kimberly Flynn - Casals' Date; Hazelle Goodman - Hooker's Mother; Niki Harris - Marcia Drucker; Patricia Healy - Bosko's Date; Paul Herman - Sergeant Heinz; Brian Libby - Captain Jackson; Dan Martin - Harry Dieter; Rick Marzan - Basketball Player; Terry Miller - Children's Hospital Nurse; Daniel O'Haco - Detective; Jeremy Piven - Dr. Bob; Begonia Plaza - Anna Trejo; Thomas Rosales, Jr. - Armoured Truck Driver; Kai Soremekun - Prostitute; Kim Staunton - Lillian; Susan Traylor - Elaine Cheritto; Jerry Trimble - Schwartz; Rick Avery - Armoured Guard; Kenny Endoso - Bartender; Steven Ford - Officer Bruce; Henry Rollins - Hugh Benny; Bill McIntosh - Armoured Guard; Farrah Forke - Claudia; Mario Roberts - Bank Guard
Credit
Marjorie Stone McShirley - Art Director, Gusmano Cesaretti - Associate Producer, Kathleen M. Shea - Associate Producer, Bonnie Timmermann - Casting, Deborah L. Scott - Costume Designer, Ami Canaan - First Assistant Director, Michael Maxman - First Assistant Director, Michael Mann - Director, Pasquale A. Buba - Editor, Dov Hoenig - Editor, Tom Rolf - Editor, William C. Goldenberg - Editor, Pieter Jan Brugge - Executive Producer, Arnon Milchan - Executive Producer, Elliot Goldenthal - Composer (Music Score), Budd Carr - Musical Direction/Supervision, Neil Spisak - Production Designer, Dante Spinotti - Cinematographer, Art Linson - Producer, Michael Mann - Producer, Anne H. Ahrens - Set Designer, Steven Schwartz - Set Designer, Paul Sonski - Set Designer, Robert Fechtman - Set Designer, Logan R. Frazee - Special Effects, R.J. Hohman - Special Effects, Donald Myers - Special Effects, Lee Orloff - Sound/Sound Designer, Cliff McLaughlin - Stunts, Tom Elliott - Stunts, Norman Howell - Stunts, Joel Kramer - Stunts, Gary McLarty - Stunts, Doug Coleman - Stunts, Tony Brubaker - Stunts, Michael Mann - Screenwriter
