Customer Reviews
Very over-rated! - By: Mrs. Sharon L. Lawson, 17 Dec 2008 
My husband & I read good things about this film & the impressive cast made us record it to watch.
We lasted only 30 minutes!
This film was a typical case of style over substance. The dialogue & look was too slick & unbelievable with stupid open-mouthed gum-chewing characters sporting the classic gelled back hair look. Al Pacino's dialogue upon finding the three dead security van drivers near the start was farcical. I thought 'so you're a forensics specialist too?' The way he was coming out with itin a motormouth fashion. Typical of a film trying too hard.
The absolutely ridiculous 'romantic' scene with De Niro & the woman from the store was laughable. A case of '20 Questions', GBH to the ears, thenin for the kiss. Scene just didn't fit or convince, we felt.
The constant scene-changing just made us dizzy so we abandoned ship & watched 'Top Gear'. Their 'Top Gear Challenge' was more convincing ;o)
Two stars awarded because the cinematography was good & it was good to see Natalie Portmanin an early stage of her career.
Great thriller! - By: Chris Wood, 29 Oct 2008 
Some fantastic cinematography & one of the best gunfights I've ever seen!
A really impressive film.
A true rareity - By: Brendan O. Clarke, 30 Jun 2008 Some say Michael Mann is an acquired taste. I say an appreciation of Mann's films, notably Heat, The Insider, Collateral, Ali, Thief & Manhunter, means you have taste. At sixty-three, he's a world-class filmmaker who's still breaking rules & rubbing nerves raw. The bottom line on this 1995 classic is that is a very smart, tightly paced, action-packed crime thriller with beautiful cinematography & great performances underscored by a compulsive tension that builds from frame one until the end of the movie.
This is a film for blokes; the bottom line for females viewers is that because the film is so unconventional & densely plotted, it may leave many of our make-up lovin' brethrenin the dust. Too bad. Some reviewers on Amazon are all lined up to take shots at a film which can only be described as "over-rated; rubbish" by a viewer who simply couldn't follow the bread crumbs.
This movie is the "best thriller of the last twenty five years," UNCUT magazine; Nick James (award winning Journalist) actually wrote a book about the movie 8 years ago; 'nuff said. To be completely honest, it took me two or three viewings to really appreciate how great the plot points worked together.
Again, this is a great film for people who will appreciate the clever, intelligent way director/writer Michael Mann constructs the whole, however i believe Mann sometimes overreaches, such as including an unnecessary subplot involving a serial killer - Waingrove.
The soundtrack (available on Amazon) is astonishing & I found the music to be faultless as, like the moody backdrops, these added another dimension of drama & accent to the scenes. I know this review has wondered into the realms of awe-struck hero-worship, but I cannot praise this film enough. Bottom line - this is a movie for grownup blokes, the rest need not bother.
HEAT! - By: Film King 365, 24 Jun 2008 Heat combines 2 of the worlds best actors Al Pacino & Robert De Niro.With a solid supporting cast including, Jon Voight, Val Kilmer, Natalie Portman. Pacino plays Vincent Hanna, an old school cop hell bent on bringing expert thief Neil McCauley (De Niro) to justice & is willing to sacrifice anything to do it.
Quite simply astounding!! - By: C. O'toole, 17 May 2008 It's taken me years to pluck up the courage to this masterpiece. Much hyperbole has been written.. & it's all true. The re make of LA takedown & based on real life eventsin Chicago, Heat is Shakespearian dissection of it's two leads. Neil Mc Cauley (De Niro) is a cold blooded ruthless perfectionist, a man alone but not lonely, someone cool , not showey & prone to sudden acts of brutality or kindness. Vincent hanna (pacino) is his foil, a manic lunatic of a cop obssessed with tracking his prey, 2 marriages down & the third one crumbling, his suffering wife has to share him with all the filth of the city. A robbery goes wrong where the security guards are all shot courtesy of new team member Wayne Grove. Pacino is broughtin to hunt the team down. Through bugging Slick (Tom Sizemore) he latches on & monitors the gang as they prepare their Opus magnus. He admires his nemesis so much that he has a coffee with himin what must be one of the most classic pieces of modern cinema. Both are a mirror image of each other. De Niro must do his job & Pacino will do his. Neither can change their spots, De Niro has to choose between his woman or settling some scores, Pacino must choose between his faltering marriage & troubled step daughter but can't resist the lure of the hunt. The character exposition is as good as ever commited to celluloid, the final shoot out is scarily realistic, the city looks beautiful is Mann's cerulean blue also seenin "Collateral" the cast is superb, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, Hank Azaria, & even good old Senator/President Palmer Dennis haybert. Even good ol' Bubba from forest gump crops up as Pacino's colleagues. This is about as good as cinema gets believe the hype & own the film.
