Heat is one of my favorite movies, so yes I guess I will be bias in the rating of the movie itself. Heat is a 90’s classic of a true cops and robbers film. Heat has an ensemble cast of talented and weathered actors. Al Pacino plays Lieutenant Vincent Hanna, an explosive veteran Robbery Homicide Division detective of the LAPD. Hanna is assigned to the robbery homicide of armored car drivers by Neil McCauley’s crew. Neil McCauley is played by Robert De Niro who is a master thief. In Neil’s crew is Chris Shiherlis played by Val Kilmer, Michael Cheritto played by Tom Sizemore and Trejo played by Danny Trejo. Now you see why we call it an ensemble cast, though that isn’t all. Jon Voight, Wes Studi, Dennis Haysbert, Diane Venore, Ashley Judd, and even Natalie Portman have a part in this film directed by Michael Mann.
Pacino and De Niro are everything you would come to expect from the two. The entire film it pits one versus the other, until a tense meet up between the two with a gritty conversation of threats and promises. Though neither back down and thus an epic showdown tears through the streets. Lieutenant Vincent Hanna is a raged, volatile, man with a badge who won’t back down. Neil McCauley is smooth, calm, strategic and calculating making this a seat gripper from the start. Have you ever went to the movies and were damn near ready to piss your pants because you didn’t want to get up and miss parts of the movie because it was that tense of a movie? Well this is one of those movies.
This film truly shows how talented Director Michael Mann is as well. Forget that he directed the movie, the fact that he wrote this with such character depth and scene description really shows through with the end product. Although, I don’t think anyone could have taken his vision and turned it into this great of a film other than he himself. The film has many conflicts and is a very loud film, whether its the fights between Val and Ashley or the bank robbing scenes, shootouts etc. Mann knew what he wanted from each scene and made those that needed to be gritty just that. The film is about 16 years old and I just hope for one heck of an anniversary edition in four years. Regardless of it’s age though, I’ve had younger brother in-laws who I influenced enough to watch this film and came back loving it. It’s a timeless movie that is secured by so many strong acting performances and raw power. It’s a shame that this went under the radar with Hollywood. Politics? I think so …
The video quality is what you could somewhat come to expect from WB hits from the 90’s. Sure there is some grain apparent but its still an upgrade from the dvd counterpart. Between this and Robin Hood I still scratch my head wondering if this is the absolute best that can be offered. None the less, it truly is a remarkable upgrade and I don’t want to sell that short. 1080p Goodness here will have you totally ecstatic when watching this film if you’re a fan favorite like myself. The blacks are as dark as they can be in regards to film grain and the texture and quality of skin tones are precise. Much improved.
Whoa, that’s about the best way to describe it. “Whoa.” The audio quality is insane, but did you really expect less with this title? Many audioholics were waiting for this title to drop since the first time they ever heard Blu-ray. The shootout scene is breath taking, absolutely amazing. Warner turns up the HEAT on this one and brings it to you with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track. All speakers are utilized well in a engulfing like sound environment. HEAT is a treat on Blu-ray and a must own for audiophiles. Your subwoofer will be tested, and your fronts and center will be hard at work during heavy scenes. Dialogue reproduction is high and rings through with great clarity. Kudos to WB, love it.
Audio Commentary: With Director Michael Mann; If your interested in the film itself and how parts came to be then this audio commentary can provide you with just that. Mann discusses why certain decisions were made and how things inspired this tale and talks of time with the cast. A very informative audio track for this awesome film.
The Making of Heat: Almost an hour, this three-part documentary show cases director Michael Mann giving more insight on the characters, and details of the film itself. Additionally there are interviews with cast members and other important people to the movie.
Pacino and De Niro: The Conversation: A great peice of an interview with De Niro and Pacino and discussing the legendary encounter that they had by starring in this film.
Return to the Scene of the Crime: Associate producer Gusmano Cesaretti and Location manager Janice Polley discuss scenes chosen and mann’s vision for them.
Additional Footage: Eleven scenes cut from the original film.
Theatrical Trailers – 3 of them.
HEAT is a 90’s classic, the bank robbing movie of bank robbing movies. The recently released “The Town” is right up there with it and what I personally consider a modern day “Heat”. HEAT however is timeless. The video quality isn’t the best, but it isnt the worst. It’s worth the upgrade, but I could see this getting a special anniversary edition with perhaps a new transfer with more attention to detail. The audio quality is through the roof, gun shots ring out and will rock your set up or home theater with precision. The supplements though bleak are the same from yester years. HEAT is recommended, especially at today’s cheap prices that you can snag a copy for.
