Heat – The Challenge
by Michael Mann (1995)
A gang of professional bank robbers find the police on their trail after they inadvertently leave a clue at the scene of their latest heist.
Quote.
“Seven years in Folsom, three in isolation. Macneal before that. Is Macneal as tough as they say?” “Are you into prison science?” “Planning on going back? You know, I met some guys who’d mess up on purpose just to get caught again. How about you?” “You must’ve met the dumbest of the lot.” “Well, I met plenty.” “Do you see me robbing a liquor store with a sign on my head that says: arrest me, I’m a loser?” “No, I don’t.” “Good, ‘cause I’m never going back to prison.” “Then you better change your line of work.” (**Vincent Hanna & Neil McCauley**)
**Beware of those two.**
The first character is **Vincent Hanna**, a lieutenant in the robbery/homicide division of the L.A.P.D.
A highly emotional man with sudden outbursts and rapid mood swings, he’s been through three failed marriages and has a nicotine addiction that he tries to curb by constantly chewing gum.
For him, the job is an obsession that prevents him from having a fulfilling personal life because, as he often repeats, he needs his anguish to stay sharp and alert.
The second character is Neil McCauley, the leader of a gang of professional criminals specializing in bank heists.
A man of few words, an ex-marine with polite and calm manners, who loves solitude and hates prison.
In his personal life, he’s recently met a woman by chance in a bar.
Neil feels some affection for her but knows all too well that there can’t be anything in his life he can’t walk away from in 30 seconds flat if he feels the heat around the corner.
Despite their character differences, they are essentially two sides of the same coin, placed on opposite sides of the law.
The first is Al Pacino.
The second is Robert De Niro.
And that alone would be enough.
But that’s not all…
Considerations.
There’s a great director behind the camera, considered one of the masters of modern action cinema. Here, he sets up an almost unconscious chase, for most of the film, between two protagonists who are drawn to each other like magnets.
And he does it with a film that is stylistically and narratively impeccable in every detail, where every element fits together perfectly.
The events are almost always accompanied in the background by a Los Angeles that is more alive and present than ever, with its streets, its people, and its colors.
In my opinion, the bank heist scene and the subsequent shootout in the street remain, to this day, one of the most astonishing things ever seen on screen.
Additionally, Mann delves deep into his characters, even the supporting ones, gifting us with detailed and precise psychological portraits.
Special mention must also go to the cinematography by Dante Spinotti.
Heat – The Challenge is a monumental work, an incredible film.
