I thought I'd start this off with something I'll call Jim's Old Ass Reviews. Every now and then, a movie or TV program comes along that you just don't get a chance to see. You keep saying you'll go to the theater, or rent the DVD, but it doesn't get around to happening. For me, Heat was one of those movies. Yes, THAT Heat .. a thirteen-year-old movie that has Pacino, De Niro, and Val Kilmer (what was I waiting on?). Well, I finally got around to watching it last week, and considering all the hype about the new De Niro-Pacino project, I thought it was appropriate to take a look. Join me, won't you?
Heat, as you may recall, is Michael Mann's epic crime story following both a police detective with an unhealthy dedication to the job (Pacino) and an efficient criminal gang with a calculating leader (De Niro). The movie starts with an armored car robbery that ends with 3 dead guards. We then follow the cops and crooks as they go from caper to caper until the film culminates in a showdown during a bank robbery.
So, what did I think? First of all, when I called it an "epic", I wasn't kidding. This movie goes on and on and on. There are multiple storylines that are inserted for no apparent reason. True, you could say the storylines about Pacino's stepdaughter (played by Queen Amidala) or Kilmer's wife (played by Ashley Judd) served to provide character development, but what's the deal with Dennis Haysbert's character? The future President Palmer shows up as an ex-con cook in a diner, and then doesn't make an appearance until the very end as a last minute get-away driver. It was like they realized they needed another character at the end, so they just crammed in sombody else.Pacino was INSANE! I know, I know ... he's always insane, but he really played it up this time. My favorite, most off-the-wall part, is the scene below:
De Niro, as you might guess, is a little more nuanced ... and by that, I mean he isn't yelling and going bug-eyed every 5 seconds. His character is supposed to have some sort of Thief's Code about not taking chances or something like that (I'm not sure what the message was there). He's a relatively interesting character who also manages to hook up with the actress from Judging Amy, so he's got that going for him.
As you might imagine, the action is well done. Say what you will about Michael Mann, but he does action with realism and tension that really works. Unfortunately, he needs an extra 3 hours of movie to set up his 20 minutes of action.In the final analysis, I think Heat is good - maybe even really good. I just wouldn't put it on that "great" stratum. It feels more like Mann was still thinking like he was writing for TV, where multiple storylines had to be going at all times. To me, the better De Niro film noir crime epic is Ronin, and Pacino is a far less ridiculous cop in Insomnia.
Until next time,
The Jim
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