Finally got around to watching Heat for the first time.
It's really good! Mann is so great at setting up tension and letting it build. And he's not afraid to let a threat sit on the table for an hour before pulling it back into the story.
The opening few scenes are so efficient at setting up the characters and the opening situation without any explanations. It demands your attention and rewards you for it, which is something I think newer action films aren't as good at.
Spoilers after the page break
And you can see the fall coming a mile away. Of course De Niro's character can't just walk away. He has to throw away everything for revenge. The irony of him repeating his mantra about not having anything you won't walk away from when the heat comes, and then failing to let go the one time it really matters. It's so good.
