Week 5: Heat

Heat is a 1995 American crime film written and directed by Michael Mann. It stars Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer. De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a professional thief, while Pacino plays Lt. Vincent Hanna, veteran LAPD homicide detective tracking down McCauley's crew. The central conflict is based on the experiences of former Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson and his pursuit in the 1960s of a criminal named McCauley, after whom De Niro's character is named. The film is technically a remake of L.A. Takedown, a 1989 made-for-television film which was also written and directed by Mann; the director had been trying to get Heat made for over a decade, and created L.A Takedown as a simplified version after his efforts were unsuccessful. Heat was a critical and commercial success, grossing $67 million in the United States and $187 million worldwide.

This week's movie was chosen by Chris.

"We just witnessed cinematic history. We just witnessed the best use of a barrel roll of all time. Val Kilmer brought the party and lost the heat in this epic tale of bad cop vs. bad guy. The movie is supported by an all-star cast and despite the lack of spoon fed story line that couldn’t be heard over cackles of laughter I really, really enjoyed it."

4 ¼ Thrusters

"Where the fuck did this heat come from?)(Probably smokin’ hot 14 year old Natalie Portman, amirite?) I’ve been paging you all day. (I fuckin’ hate paging). It was a heist movie (without any elaborate heists). A tailor-made explosion fest (without any explosions). Val Kilmer was a dud, (but we now know that his mouth gape doesn’t persist after taking a bullet to the chest).  Was the climactic scene directed by Sergio Leone? That shit was epic. Despite not being able to explain why, I really liked the movie." 0.1  thrusters per “Fuck”, -1 for not knowing if I’m disappointed or not…

5.2-1.0 = 4.2 thrusters

"Heat brings the… heat. Al Pacino’s insistent rage was like a volcano. Val Kilmer rocked a hair-style that looked like the tail of a phoenix. Tom Sizemore’s passion burned like a candle. Robert DeNiro is ice cool though, at least until the end where he feels the HEAT. This movie doesn’t warm the heart though, as you’re watching you’ll realize how incompetent everyone is, from Val Kilmer’s sniper roll to the entire police force waiting around for Al Pacino to break down a crime scene for them."

3.5 thrusters running at 141 degrees

"I wanted to like this movie because it had an all-star cast but it turns out Al Pacino is a terrible actor, no idea what all the fuss is about. I was really rooting for DeNiro but unfortunately he was overcome by HEATstroke. Val Kilmer was able to escape in the end but I was sad to see he lost his ponytail along the way. Good for a laugh but will not be watching again."

2.5 thrusters

"THE HEAT INDEX WAS OFF THE CHARTS FORTUNATELY IT WAS A DRY HEAT. ROBERT DINERO SAID YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO WALK AWAY FROM ANYTHING IN 30 SECONDS I KINDA WISH I HAD WALKED AWAY FROM THE MOVIE IN 30 SECONDS LOL"

1.2 THRUSTERS

Join us for next week's movie: Taxi Driver.