Feature Friday: Heat

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and Rueben and I were at the bank, making a deposit. It was around 2:15 and the place was deserted. As we were just about to leave, an armored truck pulled up. Apparently to pick up the excess cash from the vault and the ATM and carry it back to the main branch, downtown.

But what got our attention, was that there was only one driver. And only one guard at the bank. I turned to Rueben and raised my eyebrows.

"You saw that too?" he asked.

Yeah, I saw it. And immediately started working on the story that would eventually become the main focal point of my novel, The Choirboy Chronicles.

However, at the time, it got Rueben and me thinking of how easy it could have been. How effortless. As he said, "We have nothing to lose." It really was an interesting proposition...

This past weekend, The Elfin Princess and the Lord of War and myself saw Spike Lee's newest joint, Inside Man. Now, I adore a good bank heist, and I love a clever script. I'm pleased to say that Inside Man is both. And so much more. Denzel Washington is great as the Detective in charge. And Clive Owen is masterful as the con trying to pull off the perfect bank robbery.

It got me thinking of old the Sidney Lumet films, of Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon. Of Scorsese's Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. How I loved Pacino and De Niro. And how for one glorious moment, in the summer of 1995, the planets aligned to give us those two very wonderful actors together in one of the greatest heist films of all time.

Title: Heat
Year: 1995
Director: Michael Mann
Staring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman

Our film opens with Neil McCauley's (De Niro)'s crew getting ready for a job. They are a whip-sharp group consisting of the point man, Michael Cheritto (Sizemore), demolition's expert, Chris Shiherlis, (Kilmer), and even President Palmer himself, Dennis Haysbert. This is a close-nit crew, and everyone has their job to do. We find out early on that they've taken on a new member, Waingro, played by uber-thug, Kevin Gage. This will prove to be a mistake.

The opening job is to knock over an armored truck. McCauley's crew is quick and efficient. Bold, yet calculating. With nothing is left to chance. Nothing but Waingro, that is. Turns out he thinks himself a cowboy, and shoots an unarmed security guard just because he can. McCauley knows he in trouble now, and tries to find a way to clean up Waingro's mess.

Meanwhile, Lt. Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is having troubles of his own. His new wife, Justine (Venora) and her daughter Lauren (Portman). Looking for a way to escape the situation at home, Hanna delves into the armored truck case.

McCauley is approached by his fence, Nate (Voight), and is presented with a high-caliber, high-profile job: knock off a large bank in downtown L.A. While he's deciding if he want to take the job or not, he meets Eady (Brenneman), and starts a relationship with her.

As McCauley's life starts to settle down, Hanna's starts to take off. He tracks down Shiherlis' wife, Charlene (Judd), and starts twisting the screws. McCauley becomes wise to this, however, and starts playing a game of cat and mouse with Hanna, with each trying to outsmart the other.

It boils down to a daring daylight robbery complete with what is probably the best shoot-out ever caught on film.

Heat is a very clever, very pretty movie. Mann, known for his beautiful imagery, doesn't disappoint here. He uses a bold color palette, and L.A. has never looked better.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Pacino is king. He has a commanding presence in this film that is hard to deny. He is at times both charming and intimating. A very versatile actor who loves chewing his way through a scene. In a key scene with De Niro, one where both of them are in a diner, he decides to play it very subtle. Very quiet. Very calculating. It's quite impressive and over far too quickly.

De Niro is very convincing as Neil McCauley. It's a character you've seen before, but Bobby breathes new life into him. He's just as clever and charming as Hanna. But that dangerous side is just a heartbeat away. And you never know what will set it off. But McCauley is so good at what he does, you're rooting for him to get away with it from almost the get go.

These are 2 of the finest actors working today. And while they haven't been in top form in a while, it's good to go back and watch films like these that remind us why we loved them in the first place.

The supporting cast is quite good as well. Sizemore has fun as Cheritto and Kilmer disappears into the role of Chris Shiherlis. Both do a wonderful job as the main members of the best crew in L.A., and it's fun to see them do what they do. They play a major part in the shoot-out that is the film's climax, and the results are just breathtaking.

But the men in the movie wouldn't be who they are without the women in their lives. Diane Venora is as elegant as Judd is tough and Brenneman is vulnerable. Each are the equal of the men they stand behind. And each help to bring the film to a new level. There's even a look at the early career of Natalie Portman. While her role is small, it does play a major part in Hanna's development and gives us an understanding to why he makes the decisions he does.

A very enjoyable film, with great actors and a very clever story. And one that I'd recommend seeing with a surround-sound system. You won't be sorry.

-Jos

"When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is." ~Oscar Wilde