Charming Classic - “Heat”

“Society invites the crime and criminals accept the invitation.” - Vikrant Parsai

Michael Mann's Heat exists in the memory as a remarkable heist film, a standout cops n' robbers thriller, which influenced several quality, crime-pictures following on from it. Matthew Vaughn, Ben Affleck and Christopher Nolan, directors of Layer Cake, The Town and The Dark Knight respectively, admit to their films having been inspired by Heat in varying ways. It can be argued that at the time, it redefined the action-thriller genre. It revised an almost decade-long formula of somewhat gimmicky, machismo fuelled, 80's action cinema, by delivering high octane spectacle, that relied upon sheer authenticity.

Thirty years after its release, whenever Heat is spoken of, its bank-robbery scene, with subsequent ear shattering, open road shoot-out, along with that diner scene between Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, in what can only be described as a heavyweight acting bout, are always the moments that are recalled. The talent in the film is abundant; Jon Voight, Val Kilmer, William Fichtner, Ashley Judd and a young Natalie Portman, are among a supporting cast where no one falls short.

Often you hear of film lovers speak of a landscape or city being a character within a film. It's a way of saying a setting can have a visual or tonal impact that's integral to the narrative. This can most certainly be said of the mid-90's Los Angeles that Michael Mann captures. The vast, concrete jungle of LA, with its almost endless sea of night city lights, creates a mood of both desolation and isolation, mirroring the emotional state of a number of its characters. This is a clever juxtaposition whereby aesthetics, tone and character are all expertly and cohesively combined.

But what of character and plot? For those yet to see it, Robert DeNiro plays Neil, the unofficial leader of a band of a high-stake thieves. He's careful, calculated and professional to a fault, being disciplined enough about his illegitimate career to be able to walk away from anyone, or anything, within 30 seconds flat, if sensing "the heat around the corner". Joining him is Val Kilmer's Chris, his closest confidant. Chris is younger, more reckless, has a gambling problem, but the loyalty between the two is almost palpable. Along with a couple of other affiliates, they receive a tip from thief orchestrator, Nate (Jon Voight) to steal bearer bonds from a crooked, seemingly white collar businessman, Van Zant (William Fichtner). The idea is to steal the bonds and sell them back to him, for which they'll get paid healthily and he'll ultimately profit from the insurance.

The heist goes wrong however, when through a rookie error, security guards are murdered (this is a crew that prioritises stealing over killing) and now homicide detectives become heavily involved in the case. Cue Al Pacino's, Vincent, a diligent, veteran cop, facing a time of domestic turbulence, due to a lack of engagement with his third wife. He's a man, who after decades of service to the LAPD, is more faithfully married to his career, which has usurped the bulk of his time and attention.

The film neatly oscillates back and forth between the cunning of the police and thieves, it's a visual chess game, where no one quite achieves a check mate. However, through a mixture of clever police work and fortuitousness, the cops uncover the identity of the crooks and put in place planning, to foil their agenda.

One of the greatest strengths of the film, is its ability to make you root for the wrongdoers. As we know, with the best of well crafted characters, be they literary, on stage or in cinema, none are solely good, or bad. For characters within well crafted films such as this, it's the conflict of intentions, motivations and actions that leads to crossing that thin line between malevolence and benevolence.

It was also apparent to me from watching the film this time around, that who you have with you and the stage you may be at, at the time of watching a film, can greatly influence your experience of it. Having watched Heat through more mature eyes, I realised how much of a significant role women play in the film. It's packaged as an all male, hyper-masculine picture, but the relationships between Neil, Vincent, Chris and the women in their lives are all indicative of their textured pathways as characters and as men.

Ashley Judd plays Charlene, Chris' unsatisfied wife and mother to their infant son. She makes it clear that enough is enough in terms of his gambling, dodgy dealings and the tumultuous nature of their marriage, which she exemplifies through her adultery. Similarly Vincent's wife, Justine (Diane Venora) is becoming increasingly despondent with his lack of time, affection and for not "sharing" his working experiences with her. She too uses throwaway, adulterous sex, but more as a means of proving a point. It was interesting to me that sex within the context of cheating was used within the film to signify female agency. It struck me that for the women, both in entirely contrasting lifestyles, but similarly experiencing a sense of neglect, that revenge is expressed via adultery. It's a confusing message, but one that speaks volumes; that the lack of loyalty, which is desperately sought from both wives, is compounded by their own infidelity. Interestingly however, none of the male characters, who while criminally or domestically deviant, are ever sexually unfaithful.

It's for commentaries like this, along with simply being a great crime thriller, that Heat has lasted the test of time.

See the trailer here: Heat Trailer