Following a deadly highway armored truck robbery, a hawkish L.A. detective (Al Pacino) is put on the trail of a seasoned bank robber (Robert De Niro) as his squad prepares for one final takedown. Michael Mann's Heat is an engrossing crime saga and exemplary character study with all of the director's trademarked visuals, stylistics, and ideas in top form. De Niro delivers a controlled, sage performance while Pacino's welcomed, over-the-top theatrics gradually refine themselves into an equally excellent turn. The film is compulsively watchable, endlessly quotable, and brilliantly casted with Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore, and Jon Voight all serving as standouts.
**** out of ****
