Mini-Review: Heat (1995)

In this first edition of Substack exclusive mini-reviews, I talk about the 1995 heist film "Heat"

Hey all,

Recently I watched a video by one of my favorite YouTubers, Popomedic, on the real life incident that inspired the 1995 film Heat. For years people have been saying that Heat is one of the best action and heist movies ever made. I decided to watch it on Tubi since they had it for free with ads.

My final consensus is- it’s a good movie, but not my favorite heist film. Examples off the top of my head that are better: Die Hard, Dead Presidents, Reservoir Dogs, Point Break, and Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. I think what disappointed me was the relative lack of action scenes- I know that makes me sound like a pleb, but from what I was hearing from people, it was going to be a roller coaster ride. The main heist begins the film and the rest is sprinkled with smaller scenes, but much of the film has varying quality of dialogue and exposition.

Which brings me to my next point- the writing. Most of the movie is well written and I absolutely LOVE the scene where Robert De Niro and Al Pacino face each other in public at a coffee shop. This is based on a real life incident- though, the rest of the film takes creative liberties and has little to do with the true history. My biggest gripe is that the women are presented as being one dimensional; they whine to their husbands about what they do, showing up home late or not making enough money. Considering these men are extremely dangerous and willing to kill at the drop of a hat, it feels unrealistic that they would badger them about what they do. In comparison, how Karen is portrayed in Goodfellas feels much more authentic as she knows Henry is dangerous and a killer. Especially terrible is Al Pacino’s wife, who neglects her daughter and openly embarrasses him.

There are several concurrent plots going on; the chase between the heist crew and police, Val Kilmer’s relationship problems, Al Pacino’s relationship problems, and a psychopath named “Waingro” that is a loose cannon and compromises the team. The whole reason the crew is at risk is because of his actions; murdering the security guards in the beginning of the film, which greatly escalates the police’s interest. There is too much going on, and the film’s run time of nearly three hours is excessive. More time could have been spent focusing on one or two plot points (mainly, focusing on the cat & mouse police chase and maybe the Waingro subplot.) But as the film stands, it feels disjointed and weak.

Now onto the praise- as mentioned earlier, the dynamic between De Niro and Pacino is palpable and they do great opposite of each other. The technicality of the action scenes is fairly realistic too- they are exciting and stylish, with the heist crew wearing suits. Backup performances by Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight and Ted Levine flesh out the scenes more and add a more human element; rather than just having two characters facing off against each other the entire film. I also want to mention how the filmmakers did an excellent job capturing the feel of Los Angeles in the 1990’s- it is gritty, dirty and a crossroads of sorts for crime and seediness. Waingro’s subplot with him going completely unhinged and murdering people, attracting attention, I feel is also underutilized.

Of course we need to mention how this film has influenced other media, most notably Grand Theft Auto V. The game takes many elements from the movie, including the main heist, and some of the characters are arguably based from people in the movie. Los Angeles is the center of the bank robbery world so it’s no surprise they share some elements, but it was pretty obvious how GTA took influence.

Is it worth watching? Absolutely, if you love heist movies I am sure it will be up your alley. I am glad to have watched it, as I now have crossed it off my watchlist and can discuss with fellow film viewers.

Did you like or dislike Heat? Please feel free to leave a comment.