Heat

Michael Mann wrote and directed something I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. He showed us precisely the line separating good and evil and the entire movie balances on that thin line. It isn’t clear for a long time who is good. Is anybody? Or is everybody good in their own way? Al Pacino certainly doesn’t come across as a positive hero and the same goes for De Niro. Even so, you find yourself crossing your fingers for them and the ending is incredibly nerve racking. Plus the action and mainly the big shootout is so wonderfully raw that your eyes are glued to the screen. If he manages to pull off something like it with Miami Vice, it’ll be Christmas in the summertime for me. (06/20/2006)

A discreet action crime film that delves into the psyche of the characters down to the smallest detail, giving strong meaning to even the smallest scene and allowing tension to reach an unbelievable level. And who to root for? With an insistent shiver down my spine, perhaps both. The moment when Neil sees Vincent approaching on the sidewalk is a bomb that had me trembling with anticipation throughout the second half. Heat is the first open victory of Mann's civilian form and the enduring sense of immediate interaction with the plot. I have anxiety within me. I hold it here to stay sharp and alert. I need that. (02/07/2006)

I love this. A famously created script that does not divide good and evil. The antipodes have the greatest understanding for each other, and the viewer does not necessarily take a stand based on morality and incompatible principles. Two demonic outcasts, completely committed to their mission. Coincidentally, they are aiming weapons at each other. Mann carries the film with his precise directing, which has an incredibly captivating pace and timing of dramatic climaxes. The final scene is minimalist, brilliant. A precisely tuned soundtrack. Perfect cast in every detail and the appropriate acting performances. Everything works: the action, the psychology, and the plot. If you want a good crime drama, this is it. (08/26/2008)

When you put Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the same movie, it's basically impossible for that combination not to work. Both of them are actors par excellence, as demonstrated by this film, which allows them to excel both in action and in acting. Michael Mann has made a film that has drive, even at three hours long, and has interesting characters on all fronts. (03/17/2016)

A thrilling film where I didn’t mind the excessive runtime. De Niro and Al Pacino are reunited in a movie after a long time and it's worth it. A brilliant mix of action and a kind of subtly psychological portrait of two standing on the opposite side of the law, but who have respect for each other and something in common. Some passages are based on real events, e.g. the pivotal scene of DeNiro and Pacino's conversation in the restaurant actually happened. Heat is one of the best films of the 1990s. (05/11/2003)