Friday Film Noir
Heat (1995) is a crime drama written and directed by Michael Mann. The film follows the parallel lives of master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and obsessive LAPD Detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). Their lives are set on a collision course as Hanna hunts McCauley’s crew following a high-profile bank robbery. The film is a meticulously detailed look at professionalism and the emotional toll of a life consumed by work, capturing the tension, discipline, and isolation that define both men, culminating in a tense manhunt.
The film was shot in over 65 locations in Los Angeles, with not a single scene filmed on a soundstage, lending the production a palpable authenticity and urban grit. To prepare for the bank robbery, the actors spent several weeks training with former British SAS operatives. Mann based the iconic coffee shop dialogue about destroyed marriages on his conversations with real-life, high-level detectives and criminals. The film’s legendary bank heist shootout was filmed with a commitment to realism, including military tactics and original production gunfire audio. Heat examines the corrosive nature of obsession and the deep loneliness that can come from a singular dedication to one’s craft.
1995 • R • 2h 50m
