Heat: Just Skip to the End

I received the 1995 movie "Heat" by Michael Mann in my Netflix queue this week. I forgot that I had even queued it up in the first place; it was always meant to statically sit at the bottom of my queue, much like the Criterion Collection DVDs that I never intend to watch. I added it after playing the mission "Three Leaf Clover" in GTA IV, because it reminded me of the shootout scene at the end of the Heat.

I remember thinking so highly of this movie in high school. It had a stellar cast: De Niro, Pacino, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore... It had well-choreographed action scenes, 'good' dialogue, and a well-paced plot.

Unfortunately, revisiting this movie was a bad idea. I was basically wrong on all counts except the action scene. Man, watching Pacino makes me want to drive two stakes thru my temples and take my eyes out in the process. And the characterization of women in this film is appalling, even for 90s action flick standards.

That bank heist and shootout scene however, is timeless.

Maybe.



P.S. - They are coming out with a videogame based on the movie, using the original voice actors. I look forward to playing Pacino's character and forcing him off tall building rooftops.