JustWatchWhat is Heat About?
Heat is an epic crime drama and Police procedural movie, revolving around two similar figures on opposite sides of the law. Professional thief Neil McCauley and his team hijack an armoured car, only for it to escalate and end in death.
LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna investigates the killing and is soon hot on McCauley’s trail. As the Police and criminals head towards an inevitable collision, the two begin to realise they have more in common than they first thought.
Our Honest Heat Review
Let’s get straight to the point: Heat is one of the best films of the nineties and a career highlight for director Michael Mann. It is absolutely riveting, and despite being almost three hours long, it flashes past in an instant
It starts with an adrenaline-pumping heist sequence and from there, it rarely gives you a chance to breathe. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are terrific as mirror images of one another, while the supporting cast – especially Val Kilmer – are all at the top of their game. Add one of the most iconic action sequences in cinema history and you’ve got an unmissable movie. See this as soon as possible.
What Do the Critics Think of Heat?
Heat was received relatively warmly by film critics. The praise wasn’t universal, and some journalists felt that it didn’t live up to expectations, but for the most part, it was reviewed positively. Rolling Stone later ranked it at number 28 in their “100 Greatest Movies Of The 90s” list.
- “Like Kubrick, Mann takes a genre premise that seems like no big deal, and expands it into a cosmos of its own. Heat might simply be the most spectacular B-movie ever made, but that’s impressive enough.” – Jonathan Romney, The Guardian.
- “Like Kubrick, Mann takes a genre premise that seems like no big deal, and expands it into a cosmos of its own. Heat might simply be the most spectacular B-movie ever made, but that’s impressive enough.” – Jonathan Romney, The Guardian.
- “There’s not a boring building in the film. Mann is the best director of architecture since Antonioni. In fact, few film-makers at work today can rival Mann’s control of every detail of the film-making process.” – John Wrathall, Sight & Sound.
- “Mann understands what too many directors, impressed by their credentials, do not; when Pacino and De Niro talk, the audience listens. We don’t need to be browbeaten. Mann extends that respect for all of Heat.” – Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press.
Did the Movie Heat win any Awards?
Strangely, Heat did not win any awards despite the positive critical reception. It picked up a few nominations though, including
- Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards.
- Best Supporting Actor for Val Kilmer at the Saturn Awards.
- Best Picture at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards.
- Best Young Supporting Actress for Natalie Portman at the Young Artist Awards.
Cast & Crew of Heat
Michael directed one of the Compare TV office’s most divisive movies, 2006’s Miami Vice. Half of us think it’s amazing, the others are convinced otherwise. However, Heat is his masterpiece, and we can all agree on that. He also directed the crowd-pleasing The Last Of The Mohicans (1992) and the Muhammad Ali biopic Ali (2001), so he has some terrific flicks in his back catalogue.
Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors on the planet, as well as one of the shoutiest. He became a sensation thanks to his calculating turn as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972), and solidified his legacy with his reliably intense performances in Serpico (1973) and Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
Although he is best known for playing criminals, Robert De Niro has portrayed a remarkably wide range of characters across his career. If you know him best as the psychotic villain of Cape Fear (1991), then seeing him as a flamboyant sky pirate in Stardust (2007) would be a surprise, and that’s nothing compared to his foul-mouthed turn in Dirty Grandpa (2016).
Val Kilmer shines in Heat, and it’s undoubtedly one of his best performances. He’s excellent as McCauley’s capable but torn second-in-command, and he equips himself admirably opposite two of his acting heroes.
Natalie Portman plays the stepdaughter of Vincent Hanna. While she doesn’t have as much screentime as the others, she plays a pivotal part in the story. Her relationship with Hanna is crucial to his character arc, and she does a great job as the cynical, depressed teenager.
Fun Facts About Heat
- Christopher Nolan cited Heat as a major influence on The Dark Knight (2008).
- The film’s iconic shoot-out scene has been frequently referenced in mainstream media coverage of real-life crimes. For example, the 1997 North Hollywood Shootout was widely compared to it. Just like the movie, it involved heavily armed robbers being confronted by the Police while leaving a bank and quickly escalated into a running gun battle through the streets. Both robbers died in the violence, while twelve Police Officers and seven civilians were injured. In the aftermath, a copy of Heat was found in the VCR at one of the robbers’ homes.
- There were rumours of a sequel for years, but as of 2025, it hasn’t been made. However, Michael Mann did work with author Meg Gardiner to write a prequel novel titled Heat 2.
- In 2003, actor Kevin Gage (who plays Waingro) was sentenced to 41 months behind bars for cultivating marijuana. During his prison term, the other inmates referred to him as ‘Waingro,’ his character in this movie.
- The scene where Val Kilmer runs out of bullets and quickly replaces the magazine is frequently shown to recruits in the US Marine Corps to demonstrate how to do it themselves. Kilmer was said to be thrilled when he found out.
Themes of Heat
Heat is a Police and crime-themed action movie, but at its core, the focus is on how dedicating your life to work has a cost. De Niro and Pacino’s characters should be wildly different, but their similarities are impossible to ignore. One may be a thief and the other a cop, but their dedication to their professions has left both deeply lonely.
Each man has a fraught relationship with his family. Hanna’s marriage is failing, and his stepdaughter has become depressed, while McCauley is adrift and alone in the world. This is communicated via the pivotal scene where the two meet in a coffee shop, where the dialogue and the framing establish them as mirror images. The cop and the robber are more alike than they ever imagined.
How Does Heat Compare to Michael Mann’s Other Work?
Michael Mann does not have a perfect filmography, but we’d strongly argue that Heat is his best film. The majority of his work revolves around flawed masculinity, often explored against a backdrop of crime. For example, Public Enemies (2009) was a biopic of the Depression-era gangster John Dillinger, while Collateral (2004) saw Jamie Foxx’s dispirited taxi driver confronting Tom Cruise’s ice-cold hitman.
He also tends to set his crime films in urban environments, and Heat is a classic example. Mann’s cityscapes are breathtaking to look at; the beauty of towering skyscrapers lit against night skies is a recurring visual trope. However, they’re also deeply isolating. The characters live in densely populated areas but are often painfully isolated and looking for connection.
Iconic Scenes from A Time To Kill
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- One reason why the bank heist scene is so impactful is that the gunshots weren’t overdubbed in post-production, but recorded live on set. This gives the sound a different quality from other action scenes of the era.
- Robert De Niro and Al Pacino did not rehearse the coffee shop scene before filming, so as not to seem familiar with one another.
- The coffee shop scene was the first time that Pacino and De Niro ever appeared onscreen together. They both acted in The Godfather: Part 2 (1974) but never shared any scenes as their characters’ stories were set decades apart. This led to tremendous pre-release hype and excitement for the film.
- Val Kilmer was determined to play Chris Shiherlis so he could work alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. He managed to work it into his schedule even though he was committed to the demanding role of Batman in Batman Forever (1995) at the same time.
What’s the Soundtrack Like for Heat?
It’s pretty entertaining. It consists mainly of compositions by Elliott Goldenthal, although a few rock artists like U2 appear as well.
Arguably, the best bit is right at the beginning; the introduction is like the musical equivalent of the shimmering heat rising from a Los Angeles freeway, and it builds to a magnificent, high-tension crescendo.
It’s deeply atmospheric and contributes significantly to the film’s atmosphere. Listen to it without the movie playing, and it’ll make you want to walk in dramatic slow motion towards imaginary cameras.
Best Quotes from Heat
- “I am alone, not lonely.” – Neil McCauley puts a brave face on his isolation.
- “You know, we are sitting here, you and I, like a couple of regular fellas. You do what you do, and I do what I gotta do. And now that we’ve been face-to-face, if I’m there and I gotta put you away, I won’t like it. But I tell you, if it’s between you and some poor bastard whose wife you’re gonna turn into a widow, brother, you are going down.” – Vincent Hanna tells Neil McCauley how it is.
- “There is a flip side to that coin. What if you do got me boxed in and I gotta put you down? Cause no matter what, you will not get in my way. We’ve been face-to-face, yeah. But I will not hesitate. Not for a second.” – McCauley fires right back.
- “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” – McCauley describes how to survive as a thief.
What People Are Asking About Heat
No, although several elements were inspired by real events and people. Neil McCauley is named after a former Alcatraz inmate who committed a string of crimes in the 1960s before dying in a shootout in 1964. The detective who hunted him down inspired Pacino’s character, although they have different names.
Yes, Heat can be streamed on Netflix. We understand that it will remain on the service until June 2026.
Good question, but you’ve got the 1995 Heat movie mixed up with The Heat, a buddy cop action film from 2013.
No, but it was a remake of a television film called L.A. Takedown (1989). Michael Mann directed both and has since described the original version as a “dry run.” The cast of the movie Heat didn’t appear in the original version, but L.A. Takedown is a pretty decent movie in its own right.
Cast & Crew
Director(s)
Michael Mann
Top Cast
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
