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By
WAYNE KLEIN
Michael Mann has reinvented
so many genres within his career, that it's easy
to overlook the incredible writing that drives the
narratives (and performances) in his films.
Inspired by a true story that occurred in 1964,
Michael Mann's "Heat" reinvents the police action
drama in the story of two men on opposite sides of
the law who have respect for each other but,
ultimately, must face off against each other. One
is a police officer named Vincent Hanna (Al
Pacino) and the other a thief named Neil McCauley
(Robert De Niro). McCauley hopes to pull off one
last big score. His philosophy of life reflects
that of a great thief: don't become attached to
anything so that you can walk away at any time. He
is pursued by an obsessed Hanna, who's driven only
by the work and pushes his family away.
The secret to "Heat" is the compelling story of
duality that drives the characters and Mann's
storytelling style and unconventional narrative
that allows audiences to identify with both sides
of the conflict. Stylish, with rich visuals,
"Heat" captures Mann at the top of his game.
"Heat" was, in fact, a remake of a film that Mann
made for TV (as a possible pilot for a series).
When producer Art Linson read the script he
encouraged Mann to produce the original screenplay
the way it was meant to be done, with a top-notch
cast.
Using the same transfer as last year's bare bones
release, "Heat" looks positively beautiful. Mann's
compositions and use of light and shadow
immediately pull you into this urban tale of
rivals on the opposite side of the law. As with
the previous edition the blacks are darker than
black coffee and the colors are solid. The only
thing new here is the extensive extras and Michael
Mann's commentary track. The audio makes nice use
of the surround sound format placing sound effects
all around the room where appropriate.
A full disc of extras accompanies the film.
Featuring one documentary divided into five parts,
which can be viewed as segments or all together,
the first one, "The Making of Heat," features
interviews with Mann and others from the
production cast and crew discussing how Mann
originally envisioned the film (then called "L.A.
Takedown") as the pilot for a TV series. The TV
movie that Mann made in 1989 was an abridged
version of the final script, which, ultimately,
became "Heat." Mann had just completed writing
"The Jericho Mile" (a TV movie) but no one was
likely to approve him directly a major motion
picture of the scope he envisioned. Producer Art
Linson read the complete screenplay that Mann had
completed and told him bluntly, that it needed to
be a feature film. Mann got his first choice for
both major roles; both Pacino and De Niro agreed
to do the film from the moment they were asked.
Pacino discusses that his amped up take on his
character was created because he envisioned that
Hanna was on cocaine, using it to keep him going
so he could reach his objective of capturing
McCauley. Pacino points out that Hanna is "a
hunter" and Mann states that he's "addicted" to
complete the journey not so he can reach the end
but just for the joy of catching the bad guy. In
"Crime Stories" the actors and production crew
discuss how "Heat" has elements of a Greek tragedy
as these two characters move on their collision
course without no way out. Mann was interested in
looking at the lives outside the story for each of
these characters, giving them depth and
background.
"Pacino and De Niro in Conversation" discusses the
legendary showdown between the two, who meet
together on screen for the first time. The meeting
is delayed creating dramatic sparks on screen even
though it's eventually a low-key conversation.
"Return to the Scene of the Crime" allows the
location manager and associate producer who
discovered the locations for the film to revisit
them and discuss how they found some of the
unusual areas they shot in.
Mann's involving and intelligent commentary track
really makes this worth getting. While the
documentaries are exceptional, nothing can beat
Mann's insightful comments whether on Pacino's
performance (and the background on the character
that we never see but know from the actor's superb
take on Hanna) or on De Niro's meticulous working
methods. It's one of the best solo commentary
tracks I've heard.
Sporting the same anamorphic widescreen transfer
as the previous bare bones release, the extras are
what make "Heat" worthwhile. Mann's intelligent
commentary and the second disc filled with
documentaries and 11 deleted scenes make this
worth picking up. My only complaint is that I wish
the film had released with "L.A. Takedown" as a
third disc. This would have made this the ultimate
version. |
