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@starwards1
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" You don't live with me, you live among the remains of dead people. You sift through the detritus, you read the terrain, you search for signs of passing, for the scent of your prey, and then you hunt them down." Heat is a film like no other. A sleek, suave gritty crime thriller with neon vibes and a raging explosive nature. A thrilling and exciting masterpiece, it has one of the most gripping narratives I've seen in a while. An easy contender for the most badass film ever made, Heat is a sprawling crime epic for the ages. A manic chaotic film where the stakes are raised every second, the crime thriller to end all crime thrillers.
Heat has the perfect blend of style and substance, at times a melancholic tale of loneliness and a life of crime and at times a riveting procedural crime drama. A thief Neil McCauley and Lieutenant Vincent Hanna go head to head in a battle of wits, one that is seriously intelligent and compelling. Heat may be riddled with stylish action set-pieces and action scenes but it's one of the smartest and most expertly crafted films of its kind. Heat is a 170 minute grand story that is exhilarating throughout. You know, I didn't expect what I got from Heat. It's a cold, cold film. Dark and pessimistic, even taking into account the highly entertaining action sequences. But more than that, Heat is a pretty deep film. Thematically. Michael Mann decided to focus the film on our two lead characters instead of just the plot based film it could've been which would've resulted in a fun, yet ultimately forgettable trip.
The philosophy of these two men, Neil and Vincent is brilliantly well portrayed. Oh and btw, this goes without saying but Robert De Niro and Al Pacino absolutely KILLED their roles. Michael Mann refers to the film as a crime drama, which makes sense because it's based on a true story and is naturalistic. It almost feels Scorsese-like at points, considering the way it handles many characters over a long period of time. But still, I think the core of the film, and the reason I cared so much for it, are the two lead characters. They're two brilliant people at the top of their game with a dynamic of pure electricity. You have no idea what's coming next, and you don't even know who you're rooting for. The film is just wild. And yes, I think it's a pretty profound film, with great ideas explored about fate and breaking down what these two men really are, Neil is nothing but a thief, and that leads him to his fate. These men are attracted to this life, if you can even call it a life. A hellish way of living but the only way they know. The inevitability of their actions resulting in the weight that this movie brings is just amazing. But yes, it's also so, so, so, so cool.
There was not one moment where I wasn't completely entertained by the film. The way Mann stages and pays off with his action is amazing. The opening heist and the highway shootout were scenes I rewatched endlessly after finishing the film. Shoutout to his use of guns, really realistic and immersive, his gunshots are deafening and it's nearly indistinguishable from real life. And the suspense is also just on an other level, looking away from the coffee shop scene for even a second is impossible. And man, the level of detail on this film, the way every small plot thread and character has a role to play, proves the genius writing of the movie. A grand masterpiece, and one of the best movies of the 1990s.
By @starwards1
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