Heat review

Number 140 on the top 1000 greatest movies of all time is Michael Mann's 1995 neo-noir crime film: Heat.

Based on a true story and set in LA, Heat follows professional thief Neil McCauley - the leader of a group of bank robbers.  He plans one final heist before retiring and will let nothing stand in his way.  However, he faces tough opposition in the form of Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) a veteran cop who isn't afraid to fight dirty.  Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Danny Trejo and Natalie Portman appear in supporting roles.

At its heart, Heat is a story about loyalty and the different moral codes that everybody has.  This is present right from the beginning where one of Neil's men: Waingro (Kevin Gage) breaks the rules by killing a policeman during a heist.  As punishment for this, Neil attempts to kill him, but he escapes.  As revenge, Waingro makes a deal with notorious fence Roger Van Zant (William Fichtner) to execute McCauley and his crew.

These actions have far-reaching consequences, as Wain and Van Zant extract information from McCauley's man Trejo. (Danny Trejo) In an especially poignant scene, McCauley confronts the near-dying Trejo who begs him "not to leave him like this." Because of Wain, McCauley is forced to euthanise his friend.

Also Wain bails as a get-away driver for McCauley's bank heist forcing him to recruit old friend and ex-con Donald Breedan. (Dennis Haysbert) Breedan is trying his best to go straight by working as a grill chef.  However, as his boss is a jerk, he accept McCauley's offer.  But the heist goes wrong when a shoot-out occurs and Breedan is killed.  This was a sad storyline that highlights the struggles ex-cons go through when trying to reform.  The allure of their old lives is all too seductive, especially when they're still loyal to their new friends.

McCauley also displays great loyalty to his friend Chris Shiherilis.  Chris is having problems with his wife Charlene (Ashley Judd) and McCauley is determined to help him through it.  After the argument, Chris seeks shekter at McCauley's house.  Later on, McCauley spots Charlene with another man and confronts her, telling her to give Chris one more chance.  When Van Zant tries to kill McCauley, Chris has his back.  During the final heist, Chris is shot and McCauley is determined not to leave him behind.  He takes him to a friendly doctor before arranging him safe travel away from LA.

Hanna also has his own moral code.  This is particularly evident with his step-daughter Lauren (Natalie Portman.) The mentally unstable Lauren has a bad relationship with her real father.  After he lets her down one too many times, she attempts to commit suicide.  Hanna discovers her and moves heaven and earth to get her help.  This storyline was undeveloped and I'd've liked to see it explored more, but it was still a touching display of the love a man has for his daughter even if she is a step-daughter.

But the exploration of loyalty culminates within the film's thrilling conclusion.  In an earlier scene, Hanna confronts McCauley and we see the level of mutual respect that is shared between the two.  The men are equals to one another.  McCauley tells Hanna about his '30 second rule' or "don't become attached to anything you're not prepared to leave in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat of the police." The scene ends with the men, despite their mutual respect, vowing to kill each other if the situation calls for it.

And this is what happens in the conclusion.  In a great ending, Hanna pursues McCauley to LAX airport.  After a gunfight on the runway, Hanna shoots McCauley.  As he lies dying, Hanna takes his hand and the two share a reflective moment.  And this was a reflective moment, I found myself partaking in.  It was a powerful note to end the film on and one that left me thinking.  Ultimately, I did enjoy this film.  At almost 3 hours, it was a bit longer than it had to be, but the narrative was good and the action sequences tense.  And any film that leaves me thinking is a good film in my book.