I was home recently with the flu and decided to watch, for the 90th time, HEAT starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. Not only is this a great film, but also the project that finally brought Pacino and DeNiro on screen together for the first time ever.
Some looked at this as a match, like in a Rocky movie, who would best the other in acting skills? It was DeNiro vs. Pacino not only as crook vs. cop, but as actor vs. actor.
DeNiro plays the role of Neil McCauley very restrained, yet menacing. He is a man in full control but capable of tremendous emotional coldness and violence.
Pacino, on the other hand, plays the role like its his first acting gig. He hams his way through the film, overacting and being obnoxious. We know that he is a great detective and is obviously more dedicated to his work than his family, but with the level of cockiness he portrays as Vincent, one would think it would be DeNiro standing there at the end holding the hand of a dying Pacino.
That is the one flaw in an otherwise great film. Neil's actions would suggest he'd get away although his undoing is his inability to let things go. He just had to go after Waingro and finish what had been started. There is that short moment in the car when DeNiro is smiling and there is a bit of light on his face, then suddenly obsession takes over and it get real dark in the car as he swerves over three lanes to ultimately meet his fate.
It makes sense that Neil dies, but it seems hard to believe that Vincent remains unscatched throughout the entire movie. Neil realizes that living life alone is not worth it, but Vincent truthfully could care less about getting a third divorce. When his wife allows him to answer the page at the end, he runs down the stairs with such eager glee.
One of Heats great dynamics is that it isn't just about cops and robbers, but also about their relationships with women. Each crook his a significant other, and their relationships vary from happy to strained, to DeNiro not even really having one. The Cops also have wives, but the main focus is on the failing marriage of Pacino's.
The most suprising element of the film for me, and the one that makes me get goose bumps everytime, is that by the time the movie ends, Neil and Vincent are friends in many ways. And Neil reaches for Vincent's hand as he dies not only to show friendship but to feel some sense of safety and consolation as he dies.
There is a lingering shot of Vincent's face. We don't see him enjoying his victory over Neil, but rather watch him seem very uncomfortable being forced to console another human being.
I think Neil was the first criminal Vincent saw as human, while the rest were just part of the job. Vincent has trouble accepting the humanity of people, but revels in the inhumanity of people.
When Vincent kicks the tv set out of his car, its not because he's angry at his wife, but that he's angry that Neil has seemingly escaped. Vincent doesn't see three divorces as failure, but he does see the escape of a single criminal as total failure.
With such depth to his character, its amazing to me that Pacino decided to play him so one dimensional and over the top. He's rude, brash, short, cocky and ultimately he should have paid more of a price for his personality, such as at least being shot.
But for what its worth if HEAT was DeNiro vs. Pacino, the winner was easily DeNiro.
Its amazing that these two actors returned 14 years later in RIGHTEOUS KILL and proved that they both could be the shittiest actors in the shittiest role.
I'd rather watch their 5 minute scene in HEAT than all of Righteous Kill.
By the way, Director Mann has stated that the coffee shop scene in Heat consists mainly of take 11. But that he got most of what he needed earlier. He just wanted to let the actors play a little more, and he himself wanted to get as much of this scene on film as possible knowing it was historical.
Finally, the Urban Legend that Pacino and DeNiro are never really on screen at the same time is total bullshit. One only needs to actuallly watch the coffee shop scene and the lengthy chase scene at the end to realize they are on screen together.
No comments:
Post a Comment