But we get more because we then have issues for McCauley's crew member Chris and his wife and this takes on a life of its own. Now the central focus of all this drama and character study are McCauley and Hanna as we see the lives they live, for McCauley it is one of loneliness and to some extent the same for Hannah as his marriage fails and his step-daughter is screwed up thanks to her real father. And yes that means that 'Heat' is as much a character study as it is a cops n robbers movie which is why it becomes drawn out to almost 3 hours and over complicated. But it is no ordinary cops n robbers movie because whilst part of the movie is about the slick operation that McCauley runs the other part is about the characters. So 'Heat' is at its heart a cops n robbers movie but one where even are robbers are quite likeable with the occasional exception. With Hanna closing in on McCauley and his gang they plan one final retirement job before calling it a day, but have they left it too late and can McCauley live by his rule having grown fond of the pretty Eady (Amy Brenneman)? Vincent Hanna ( Al Pacino - Carlito's Way) a sharp cop whose dedication to catching bad guys comes with its own sacrifices, his unhappy wife and step-daughter.

Neil's dedication to his life leads him to live by a 30 second rule which allows him not to be come attached to anything he can't walk away from in under 30 seconds.

Neil McCauley ( Robert De Niro - Casino) is a master criminal, a ruthless robber who with his crew have made a fortune successfully robbing various places and vehicles. Now I like both Pacino and De Niro but by 1995 they had both peaked years earlier and so the big moment where they share a scene is not all you would hope it to be. There is of course the big selling point, screen legends Pacino and De Niro appearing on screen together for the first time. I suppose my problem with 'Heat' is that at its heart it is a cops n robbers movie, with a Lieutenant leading his men after a gang of robbers but because there is so much else going on, sub-plots which take on a life of their own it becomes overly complicated and whilst everything ties together it feels like it is trying to be more than it is.

I've never really understood why Michael Mann's 'Heat' is revered by so many as a great movie, oh it is by no means an average movie with its complex storyline, stylish action and a huge cast of stars but great it is not.

Robert de niro youngqcasino amy 1995