A pleasant surprise for audiences and critics alike in 1995, the Michael Mann modern film classic blends major genres of classic American cinema, while being an urban crime thriller on the one hand, and on the other a stylish film noir that emphasizes core values and philosophizes about family, loyalty, honesty, and money.

Robert DeNiro stars as a professional robber Neil, who has spent several years in prison and has decided never to return. Vincent (Al Pacino) is the head of the Los Angeles homicide squad known for his relentlessness. Two dedicated men cross paths in an organized robbery that ends with three people dead. The tension grows and the audience is anxious to see which of the two will emerge victorious in this cat-and-mouse game, if there can be a winner at all…

“Heat”, as well as two other 1995 thrillers, Bryan Singer's “The Usual Suspects” and David Fincher's “Seven”, inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of works of the same genre that never reached the same level. All three are truly an experience even now, without sacrificing anything for the sake of entertainment or box-office success. Without giving clear answers to what is right or wrong, at the end of the film, the viewer is left to contemplate a life that may not be as beautiful as one would wish.

Helmut Jänes