Heat (1995)

⭐ 8/10

Ah yes, Heat, the thinking man's crime thriller. I know a lot of people talk about this one as a classic, and it features possibly that generation's two best actors in opposing roles, so there is a lot going for it. I liked it a lot also. I thought it was smart and well acted, but I'm not as high on it as others I think. 

One of the things I appreciated here was the cool noir vibes, much of this happening at night, lots of shots of our heroes looking at the skyline with dramatic music going. Pacino was pretty great as this hard-boiled cop who is addicted to his work, a he-man that doesn't flinch when he sees a mangled corpse. As he tells us in the movie, he keeps it all to himself so we can go on with our peaceful lives (I just took a drag from a cigarette as I wrote that). I love noir stuff and this did it well. 

And yeah, the acting is superb. There's this great moment where Pacino and De Niro are talking to each other across a table, both delivering great lines. That's what cinema is all about baby!! But there's also good stuff from Val Kilmer, my guy Jon Voight, and then all the women who have to deal with these terrible men. 

That brings me to the main point, and that's this whole friction between work and love. The whole movie revolves around this idea, that to be great at something, you can't form these attachments. I guess this is my main issue. It's not that it wasn't well done; I thought it was pretty effective and kinda the main thrust. I just felt like this movie thought it was being smarter than it was. I dunno, maybe it's because I didn't think there was any real conflict. It's so obvious that De Niro was making stupid choices and doesn't deserve love. I get it a little more with Pacino, almost a "love is the death of duty" thing because I guess his intentions were somewhat noble. I know that's not really the point, I guess I just wish there was more actual friction between chooses love or choosing the streets. 

Anyways, still a fantastic movie. 3 hours was a little rich for my blood, but it goes at its own pace which I appreciate. There are some great characters here, though maybe the guys are a little too macho for a modern audience, and I get that the women had to make the choices they made for the sake of the plot, but it all seemed a little silly by today's standards. 

But why am I getting back into negatives? No, this movie is good, and goes much deeper than your average crime thriller. Definitely worth a watch if you're into such things.