WRONG REEL EPISODE #525 – 25th Anniversary Double Feature: Casino & Heat

 

In case you missed it, Rob Cotto & I joined James on Wrong Rell to chat about the 25th anniversary of both Heat & Casino (click here or the image above to go to the episode).

JOKER: TIFF 2019 HIGHLIGHT #4

What I’m about to say applies to damn-near any movie but in the specific case of Joker, this is the kind of thing that’ll be whatever you want it be. If you want it to be a simple & entertaining comic book villain origin story with the slight residue of Christopher Nolan’s super-serious & dark DC universe - then that’s what it’ll be. If you paint this movie out as the poster child for toxic, sad, lonely, incel virgins in a time when everything is weirdly & personally politicized, then it’ll be that. There's a case for both...

Bottom line - this is a movie most folks won’t miss outside of a few people who have understandable comic book movie fatigue or are just genuinely not interested (believe it or not they do exist). So my opinion on it almost doesn’t matter. But if you’d like to know, I did enjoy Joker for the most part (there’s some editing & plot choices that I thought were strange) but it’s hardly a masterpiece or anything groundbreaking. Everyone needs to relax with those labels when it comes to this. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is certainly solid but the movie is just fine.

Todd Phillips’ Joker origin story isn’t that much different from something like Unbreakable as far as I’m concerned. It just has a little more violence and “edginess” to it. While the present-day character we know is an evil mastermind who really shouldn’t be rooted for or cheered on, we still get some sympathetic insight in to why/how they became who they are. But we really have to disassociate & separate the past from the present when it comes to Todd Phillips’ iteration of the Joker (inspired by The Killing Joke graphic novel). Sure life shat all over pre-Joker Arthur Fleck (it truly did) and he is suffering from mental illness, but he’s also fully aware, in control & conscious of all the terrible things he eventually does towards the end of the movie. It could be argued that the tone of the movie is asking for us to quietly cheer for Joker but how is that any different than Stanley Kubrick with Alexander Delarge (A Clockwork Orange) or Martin Scorsese & Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)? Filmmakers have been getting us to root for terrible people since the beginning of cinema and getting away with it by calling them “anti-heroes” when they’re really just bad people. Joker is no different. I’m not going to get all bent out of shape about the potential toxicity of this movie but at the same time, anyone who claims to relate to this particular Joker or has sympathy for him might want to look in to who they are as a person and maybe get a little help. For folks on the other side of the spectrum worried about the potential harmfulness of Joker - it's perfectly ok for "the bad guy" to be the main character in a movie.

And speaking of Travis Bickle - I can now absolutely confirm that Scorsese (specifically Taxi Driver & King Of Comedy) are single-handedly responsible for the tone of this movie. Influence is an understatement. Most of you reading this probably already know this without having seen the movie but there are actually people out there who question the influence. Now that I’ve seen Joker I can safely say that anyone who debates or questions the Scorsese influence is a fucking idiot or just likes to disagree for the sake of disagreeing because their lives are empty and pointless and they need something to do.

Not only is part of the basic premise of Joker right out of the book of King Of Comedy (an obsessed/dangerous person with dreams of being a famous stand-up comedian goes too far in their quest for fame & notoriety), there are some similar shots...

The King Of Comedy / Joker

As for Taxi Driver, Joker literally has scenes of Joaquin Phoenix pointing finger guns at his head in a pivotal scene...

Taxi Driver

Pointing a gun at his television in his lonely apartment...

Taxi Driver 

Keeping a journal of scary thoughts...

Taxi Driver

any of this sound familiar?

There are also just various random similar shots & scenes between both films...

Taxi Driver / Joker

Lets also not forget both director Todd Phillips and Joker co-star/Scorsese-regular Robert Deniro have flat out fucking said Taxi Driver & King Of Comedy outright influenced the new joker movie (unfortunately even those facts aren’t enough to convince some people).
I find it strange when movies that are considered highly influential by everyone actually show their influence on new movies and then suddenly those same people are like: “WAIT, WHAT??!”


Certain moments where we see Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck slowly transform in to the Joker also reminded me of Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now...

Apocalypse Now / Joker

Bottom line, this is probably the most hyped movie of 2019 so I don’t think any review is going to sway folks from seeing this weather they’re happily excited for it or have already judged it and convinced themselves to not like it ahead of time. At the end of the day I thought it was just fine.

WRONG REEL EPISODE 330: THE CINEMA OF MARTIN SCORSESE

Check me out on the latest episode of Wrong Reel with my good friend/PINNLAND EMPIRE contributor Rob Cotto. Click the image below to go to the episode. Enjoy...

Also make sure to listen to this all-star wrong reel lineup where we discuss the 2017 New York Film Festival.

Enjoy...

NEW IMAGE COMPARISONS...

VAMPYR / WILD STRAWBERRIES

THE INFLUENCE OF 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

(TOP TO BOTTOM:

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

THE REFLECTING SKIN

NOAH)

HARDWARE / FEAR X 

THE FLY

AUDITION

THE GREAT BEAUTY

THE WITCH

VAMPYR / THE MAGICIAN

EXORCIST / THE MIRROR

GHOSTBUSTERS / SACRIFICE

LADY IN WHITE / THE CRAFT

TREE OF LIFE / LIVID

THE REVENANT / THE WITCH

RENDEZVOUS D'ANNA / VERS NANCY

TAXI DRIVER / DRIVE

NEW IMAGE COMPARISONS

THE 7TH CONTINENT / WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

TAXI DRIVER / SONATINE

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH / SLACKER

ILLUSION TRAVELS BY STREETCAR EPISODE 98: "THE RADICAL COMEDIES OF BRIAN DEPALMA"

I made a appearance on the Illusions By Streetcar podcast (an offshoot of the Syndromes & A Cinema Podcast) to discuss the early/not-so talked about work of Brian Depalma. Click the image below to listen to the episode.

Enjoy...

RANDOM UNRELEASED B-SIDES VOL. 2: THE DUALITY OF MANN

I was going through my external hard drives again and I found these cross-comparison images that I forgot to post somewhere between my old write-ups of Heat & Public Enemies (if you remember, I was in a serious Michael Mann phase between late 2011 through mid 2012).

It’s a pretty straight forward representation of Mann’s constant exploration of the duality/rivalry between hero & villain. So instead of letting these images go unused, I figured I post it up…

Top to Bottom:
Manhunter
Heat
Public Enemies
Collateral

TIFF 2012 HIGHLIGHT #2: SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

If you woulda told me that one of my favorite films at this festival so far was gonna be a romantic comedy starring Bradley Cooper, Chris Tucker and a modern day Robert Deniro (who before I saw this felt he should consider retirement) with more than its share of clichés, I woulda probably laughed at you. I enjoyed the Fighter very much (David O. Russell's last film) but part of me felt he was doing it for a paycheck (or possibly another chance to yet again work with his muse: Mark Wahlberg). It was unlike anything else Russell had done. Outside of The Fighter showing a dysfunctional family (a common thing in Russell's film) there was no sign of incest, existentialism, twisted humor or all the other things commonly associated with his work. But when I read the synopsis and saw the cast of his latest film: Silver Linings Playbook, I was convinced he pulled a “David Gordon Green” and sold the fuck out. But I was wrong. I now think making The Fighter helped Russell get his style across to a more mainstream audience (without compromising his style too much) now that he has the platform to do so thanks to all the attention The Fighter got. In Silver Linings Playbook Bradley Cooper plays; “Pat” a former high school teacher that's recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after an incident where he almost beats the man who was having an affair with his wife to death. He’s wound tight, has many quirks beyond his bipolar disorder, doesn't want to take his meds and has pretty much no filter between the shit he thinks and what comes out of his mouth (in a scene where he first meets the love interest, played by Jennifer Lawrence, he bluntly asks; "so, how'd you're husband die?" instead your typical; "nice to meet you"). After a stint in a mental hospital in Baltimore Pat goes back home to Philadelphia to live with his parents: Dolores (Jackie Weaver) and Pat Sr. (Robert Deniro). Early on in the film we come to find out that it was only a matter of time before Pat had some kind of a violent outburst and he’d been holding a lot of shit in for a long time. His wife’s infidelity was just the tipping point. Now that he’s out of the mental hospital he’s trying to get his life back together and reconcile with his wife (who doesn’t really seem to want him back) but things get complicated when Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) - a depressed widow who’s on the verge of losing it. After a few awkward encounters the two form a strange friendship (Jennifer even offers to help Pat get back with his wife) but it slowly turns in to an attraction and Pat has to choose between Jennifer (the woman who really cares about him) or trying to get back with his unfaithful wife who may or may not even want him back (she has a restraining order against him and makes no effort to see him when he gets out of the mental hospital.

Casting Bradley Cooper for this role was an interesting choice. Given David Russell's history working with Mark Wahlberg and the kinda of character Pat is ("the confused crazy guy"), you’d think Wahlberg would be the first choice to play Pat. I actually appreciate that Russell decided to go with someone else even if I was a bit sceptical about Cooper. I didn't think he had it in him to portray someone that's bipolar but he actually did a great job (although Cooper’s portrayal IS more comedic than realistic). His timing and how he plays off the other actors in the movie is great and he’s got plenty of memorable moments and some great one-liners. Chris Tucker also surprised the hell out of me in his supporting role as; “Danny” - Pat’s friend who’s also suffering from some kind of manic/obsessive compulsive disorder. I didn't think he was capable of doing anything outside of making fun of Chinese people (the Rush Hour saga) or weed humor (Friday) but he proved me wrong. Chris Tucker is ok in doses as opposed to an entire movie and Russell sprinkled him throughout the film instead of shoving him down our throats every second like Bret Ratner has been doing since the late 90’s. Robert Deniro also managed to not play his regular one-dimensional self (which is what he’s pretty much been doing for the last 10+ years) and pulled off a very solid performance. What’s also a great about Silver Linings Playbook is that Pat and Jennifer aren’t the only ones with "problems". Just about all the characters in the film have some kind of problem, issue, repression or baggage and Russell does a great job at showing that (Pats father is borderline OCD and has a gambling problem). His direction is great and he sets up all these different atmospheres in the film. All the scenes involving Pat and his family are shot up-close & intimate and really hammers home his (somewhat) chaotic home life while most of the scenes with Jennifer are funny and light (minus a few key scenes that are kinda heavy). And Russell ties everything together with a great ending involving a dance competition and an important Eagles/Giants football game.
I know it’s only day two but Silver Linings Playbook has been the highlight of the festival so far (I’ve seen nine movies so far). But keep in mind I have yet to see Iceman, To The Wonder, Spring Breakers, Argo and Something In The Air so that remains to be seen...



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TAXI DRIVER: TRAVIS SAVES

It’s common knowledge among most people who know me well that Taxi Driver is my all time #1 favorite movie (with Blue Velvet at a close 2nd place). And no matter how many new or old movies I discover in my lifetime I don’t ever see it being bumped from the #1 spot. Outside of my reference to it in my Claire Dolan review I realized that I have yet to actually write about it. I think part of the reason I haven’t written about Taxi Driver is because over the years it’s becoming more and more known for that one famous line ("You Talkin' To Me?") instead of its overall brilliance and I didn't wanna waste my time writing about a great movie that a lot of people don't fully appreciate. It’s also become one of those classic movies that people are supposed to like just because it stars Deniro and was directed by Scorsese in his prime. This kinda stuff automatically makes people defiant and not like it as much. But there's so much more to Taxi Driver than "You Talkin' To Me?" Writing about this movie is both; cliché (how many reviews, essays and blog entries have been done on this movie to date?) AND intimidating (although there are tons of pointless writings & reviews on Taxi Driver, many great things have been written about it by people far more qualified than me). Seriously, what’s left to write about or analyze when it comes to Taxi Driver? We should all know its influence and impact on cinema. Who hasn’t borrowed or downright stolen from it? The subway scene in Kids where the man is playing the accordion could easily be traced right back to the random scene from Taxi Driver where the greasy guy is playing drums on the corner. That momentary focus on something so random clearly had an impact on Harmony Korine (and I realize Larry Clarke directed Kids, but that scene is totally a Harmony Korine moment). The cinematography and claustrophobic apartment setting (which was influenced by Bresson's early work) clearly had an influence on Jim Jarmusch's early work like Stranger Than Paradise and Permanent Vacation. There's even a scene in Bobcat Goldthwait's recent film 'God Bless America' that recreates the scene from Taxi Driver when Travis goes to purchase guns from the shady salesman. And let’s not forget its pretty much singlehandedly responsible for the careers of Abel Ferrera and Quentin Tarantino (yeah, I said it. what?). Taxi Driver kinda started that film genre of vigilantism in the big apple. Death Wish, Ms. 45 (Abel Ferrara), Defiance and many more all came from Taxi Driver. And there are numerous other films & filmmakers that this movie clearly had an impact on like Lodge Kerrigan (Keane & Claire Dolan), Aki Kaurismaki (Shadows In Paradise) and even Nicolas Winding Refn (Fear X & Drive). The Travis Bickle character alone inspired a generation of crazy shaved head white guys from Ed Norton in American History X to Woody Harrelson in Natural Born Killers (which was written by Tarantino). Taxi Driver even started the on-going beef between Paul Schrader and Vincent Gallo (Paul Schrader felt Buffalo 66 stole from Taxi Driver and he denounced the film which obviously didn’t sit well with Prince Vince). Had there been no Taxi Driver there wouldn’t have been shows like HBO's Taxicab Confessions. I mean let’s be honest, so many of Travis' encounters in his taxi could easily be episodes of that show (people having sex in the back seat, an unstable man spying on his cheating wife with plans to kill her, a child prostitute trying to get away from her pimp, etc)...

Taxi Driver is the story of a former marine-turned cabbie ("Travis Bickle" - played by Robert Deniro in his prime) and his slip in to insanity due to the gritty & grimey environment around him. After a series of events that either don’t go his way (a date with the woman of his dreams that goes horribly wrong) or just push his buttons (observing the way people live amongst each other in NYC) he's finally pushed over the edge when he crosses path with a teenage prostitute ("Iris" - played by a young Jodie Foster) and sets out a plan to "save" her (*TRAVIS SAVES*) from her pimp ("Sport" - played by Harvey Keitel) and for whatever reason kill presidential candidate Senator Charles Palentine as well. He doesn’t succeed in killing Charles Palentine but by the end of the film he does in fact save Iris in a bloody shootout. A common misconception about Travis Bickle is that he isn’t already a little "off" at the start of the movie and the events we see in the movie cause him to go crazy. Not exactly. From the opening shot (after the credits) when we see Travis at the cab station trying to get a job we know he isn’t all there. Even his grin isn’t normal. In the first 15 minutes of the film we get that he's a loner, has limited social skills (but he manages to get by), he zones out, isn’t the smartest guy in the world and he goes to porn theaters in the middle of the day as if he's catching a regular matinee. No normal person functions like that. All New York City does to Travis is heighten his depression and violent side to the point where he acts on it. Actually, New York City is kinda like a character itself that fuels the fire inside of Travis and pushes him over the edge. What’s great is that Scorsese & Schrader didn’t use Travis' military background as the source for his instability. Him being a marine is only mentioned once at the beginning and later on when we see him wearing a marines t-shirt, but that’s it. Unlike future films like Full Metal Jacket or Rambo, there's no tortured ex-soldier pushed too far or having a flashback about 'Nam or basic training and going off the deep end. Another misconception about Travis Bickle is that he represents the "everyman" (this is something I hear all the time). Ehh, not really. I mean...shit, I hope not. I’m sure right now as you read this there's some angry guy on the verge of insanity that you and I walk past every day (probably somewhere in New York City) sitting alone in his apartment stewing and waiting for the perfect moment to snap, but average people don’t do that and that's not what/who Taxi Driver represents. Who Taxi Driver represents is "Mr. Nobody". Although Taxi Driver is my favorite movie and I think it’s one of the closest things to perfection, I personally don’t really relate to Travis outside of his growing hatred for New York City (now THAT we DO see eye-to-eye on). I don’t love Taxi Driver because I think Travis is "cool" (like I imagine so many people do). I don’t sit alone in my apartment zoning out in front of a television with violent thoughts in my head, I don’t build homemade weapons in my spare time, I don’t have plans to assassinate a presidential candidate and I don’t have a strange unexplained aggression towards black people. So I genuinely hope this doesn’t represent the average "everyman". But at the same time he does represent that person in the service industry we don’t think twice about or just associate with the job they do (or car they drive in Travis's case) and not as an actual person.
Travis Bickle is one of the most iconic antiheroes of cinema. People know they shouldn't root for him but for whatever reason they do.These two scenes below kinda capture a lot of Travis Bickle's qualities. Watch his unexplained aggression towards someone black at the very beginning of the first video and at 1:39 in the second video (Originally the role of sport was supposed to be black but was eventually played by Harvey Keitel to not give the film a distracting racist subtext). Watch how he just zones out at 2:12 in the second video, or his urge to want to do something bad in the first video.



For those of you who haven't had the chance to see the special features on Robert Bresson's Pickpocket as well as the making of documentary on the Taxi Driver DVD, Paul Schrader gives some insight in to how it inspired him to write Taxi Driver, specifically the small apartment and living conditions of the main character. Isolation and loneliness are two huge factors in Taxi Driver and Travis' apartment is the center of that loneliness. There's even a line in the film - "Loneliness has followed me my whole life".  To this day I cringe when I hear people say "You Talkin' To Me?" because it’s almost like they got nothing else from the movie or that scene in particular. Do people realize how amazing that scene is and how it shows the dark side of loneliness? We're watching someone essentially crack up right before our eyes in this small tiny apartment. Outside of the Bresson influence, Travis' relationship with his apartment falls right in line with other similar films like Repulsion, The Tenant and even The Shining where we see people crack up from loneliness and isolation...



Taxi Driver takes place during an interesting and overlooked time in New York City (1975/76) when it was on the verge of hip-hop culture, punk rock, the no-wave scene, Reaganomics, the crack epidemic, etc. I guess that's why the film was preserved in the national film registry almost twenty years ago. Its that strange period in New York City's history where many big things were on the verge of happening. Shortly after the events of Taxi Driver take place all these things blew up in New York City (and eventually the world). And the AIDS epidemic and wall street yuppies were just around the corner as well. Although I would probably commit suicide and take a few people with me if there was EVER a sequel to Taxi Driver, it would be interesting to see NYC through the eyes of Travis Bickle (picking up a young kid with a green Mohawk, a group of breakdancers or even Andy Warhol). I guess we'll have to use our imagination on that one.

HEAT (AND THE CINEMA OF MICHAEL MANN REDUX!)

In the tradition of David Lynch & 'Mulholland Drive', Michael Mann's 'Heat' originated from a failed television project ('LA Takedown'). 'Heat' carries over the same basic plot as well as certain specific lines from 'L.A. Takedown' (there's even a cameo in 'Heat' from Xander Berkley who appears in the original). And strangely enough, 'Heat' and 'Mulholland Drive' share another common bond. Aside from being set in L.A., certain aspects of both films are LOOSELY based on true events and real people (with 'Mulholland Drive', David Lynch was subconsciously influenced by the death of his former assistant, while certain characters in 'Heat' are based on real people). 'L.A. Takedown' was a more simplified version of what Mann really wanted to do. It didn't have so many characters, not as many subplots and its only 90 minutes long, whereas 'Heat' is almost 3 hours with quite a few side stories. 

In 'Heat', Al Pacino plays "Vincent Hanna": A somewhat unusual, yet dedicated police lieutenant (based on real life police officer-turned screen writer Chuck Adamson) who's on the trail of "Neil McCauley" (Robert Deniro) and his crew (Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo) who're about to pull a major heist. Hanna and McCauley's relationship, which we'll get to a little later, is a bit strange but at the same time very interesting. 

I really appreciate the fact that even though 'Heat' is essentially an action film (or "crime drama"), Michael Mann took his time, and wasn't afraid to make a long, complex tale involving many different players and subplots. These subplots include: Hanna's marital problems and his suicidal stepdaughter (played by Natalie Portman), McCauley's relationship with his girlfriend and his pursuit of a former partner of his who double crosses him (just like in 'Thief', 'Public Enemies' and 'Miami Vice', Michael Mann creates a world where there's GOOD bad guys). The film also delves in to the life of Denrio's partner/2nd in command; "Chris" (Val Kilmer) who's also got marital and gambling problems. Over the years I've heard some people complain about all the additional characters and subplots, but in my opinion I thought they gave the film depth. In addition to basing Al Pacino's character off of a real life police officer, Michael Mann also based John Voight's character off of actor/author/ex-con Eddie Bunker (reservoir dogs and animal factory), who also acted as a consultant on 'Heat'.

The rest of the supporting cast in this film is so stacked, you often forget all the actors in it like; Ted Levine, Tom Noonan, Hank Azaria or Dennis Haysbert. Even a pre-entourage Jeremy Piven has a small part. 

'Heat' is one of my favorite movies, but at the same time I cant deny it has its plot holes or unbelievable moments like; Al Pacino man handling Henry Rollins (i don't think so), Val Kilmer's getaway at the end or 3 guys greatly outnumbered by a S.W.A.T. team who manage to shoot their way out and get away with only 1 casualty, but none of that really seemed to bother me, because in my opinion it didn't take away from the "big picture". 

This isn't just a blog entry about 'Heat'. Its also doubling as a study on Michael Mann and his style of film making (with 'Heat' as the main focus). Ever since i started doing the "images & stills" studies on various directors on PINNLAND EMPIRE, I've always felt the one i did on Michael Mann was pretty weak, so I'm gonna make up for it now...

"MICHAEL MANN STYLE":

In my opinion, 'Heat' is an important landmark. Its where all the great elements of Mann's early work like 'Thief' and 'Manhunter' (the acting, the grittiness, the music) met the great elements of his future work like 'Miami Vice' and 'Collateral' (unique cinematography, bright lights, big cities, nightclubs, beautiful lighting, etc). Techniques and shots were carried over from 'Thief' and 'Manhunter' into 'Heat', and we were also introduced to new techniques and shots in 'Heat' that Mann continues to do to this day...

'Manhunter' (1986)

'Heat' (1995)

'The Insider' (1999)

'Ali' (2001)

'Heat'

'Public Enemies' (2009)

'Heat'

'Miami Vice' (2006)

'Public Enemies'

'Manhunter'

'Heat'

'Miami Vice'

Every director creates their own world. Some directors like Lodge Kerrigan or David Lynch create a world of unease and crazy people that you don't wanna visit. Directors like Cassavetes show realism. Other directors like the obvious Tim Burton create a land of fantasy. Mann kinda combines all of those worlds. 'Heat' may appear to be realistic, but so many things in that movie would NEVER happen in real life. With a director like Mann, even with all the criminals, shootouts and violence, its a world you wouldn't mind visiting because he makes everything look cool and sleek. In 'Heat', he makes L.A. (a city I'm not too fond off) seem like a place I would enjoy.

INFLUENCES:

Its common knowledge to most movie nerds/Michael Mann fanatics that Alex Colville's painting; "Pacific" not only inspired some great shots in 'Heat' (below)

but 'Miami Vice' as well...

and as i said in my review of 'Thief', Mann draws inspiration from french crime directors like Jean Pierre Melville (specifically 'Le Circle Rouge'). Deniro's performance in 'Heat' is very Alain Delon-esque (minimal emotions, cool, calm, collected). Melville's influence on Mann has also trickled down to other filmmakers like Nicolas Winding Refn in 'Drive'...

'Le Circle Rouge'- Melville (1970)

'Heat'

Melville's influence on Michael Mann's other work (note the style of lights and the way they're shot in Melville's film compared to Mann's Ali)...

'Le Circle Rouge'

'Ali'

DENIRO & PACINO:

Of course the biggest hype around 'Heat' was that this was gonna be the first film to have Pacino and Denrio on screen together (as we all know they were both in 'The Godfather Part 2', but never at the same time). Say what you want, but Michael Mann has managed to quietly work with some of the biggest actors from each era. James Caan in the early 80's, Denrio, Pacino and Russell Crowe in the 90's and Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Javier Bardem and Christian Bale in the last decade. He was quite aware of the hype that would be surrounding this, and he made the audience wait until that classic scene when both iconic actors wold be in the same scene together. In the first half of 'Heat', Mann teased us with the stakeout scene, which is edited to look like Deniro and Pacino are looking right at each other when in fact they're in completely different locations.

He prolongs the meeting between Pacino and Deniro yet AGAIN, with another similar scene in which they aren't on camera together, but both are aware of each other's presence...

Eventually we get the famous "cafe scene" where Pacino and Deniro finally meet (which is kinda edited in a similar fashion as the stakeout scene from earlier). Their relationship in this scene, as well as this movie is like a flirty heterosexual relationship. Both characters have (some) respect for each other, even though they're technically enemies. Its this unspoken "thing" between the two of them...

Now that we've been face to face, if I'm there and I gotta put you away, I won't like it. But I tell you, if it's between you and some poor bastard whose wife you're gonna turn into a widow...brother...you are going down. - Vincent Hanna (Pacino)

There is a flip side to that coin. What if you do got me boxed in and I gotta put you down? Cause no matter what, you will not get in my way. We've been face to face, yeah. But I will not hesitate. Not for a second. - McCauley (Deniro)

The respect that Hanna has for McCauley is a little odd. Its like he has a crush on him or something. His choice of words in that scene is a bit strange. As a cop, why wouldn't he like it if he had to take down a criminal who was putting the lives of others in danger (you know, essentially doing his job)? Through out the film whenever Hanna mentions McCauley, he repeats the line; "this guy is good". On the flip side, it seemed like once McCauley found out Hanna was on to him, he wanted to go through with it even more because it would be the ultimate challenge for him.

'Heat' is easily one of the best movies of the 90's and one of the greatest crime dramas of all time (...in my opinion). A true Los Angeles film that deserves its place among other ensemble modern LA films like 'Shortcuts' or 'Pulp Fiction'.