Where The Money Is-Al Pacino and Robert De Niro’s “Heat” (1995)- A Film Review     

DVD Review

By Sam Lowell.

Heat, starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, directed by Michael Mann, 1995    

More than once when reviewing films that are centered on bank robberies-with or without murder, murder most foul as part of the plotline- I have liked to refer to the answer to a question put to an old time bank robber, Willie Sutton, who when asked why he robbed banks simply replied-“that is where the money is.” I think underlying that hard and true fact is a core belief that old Willie knew who he was, and knew that when the fates cast their spell he had to live with the fact that good or evil he was a bank robber-and would be until he was caught-which he was more than once-or was killed trying. That premise is also what drives the bank robbery leader of the gang, Neil McCauley played by Robert De Niro, in the film under review the very well-done crime film Heat directed by ace crime film director Michael Mann. What gives the film a five-star rating, aside from expected high level acting of the lead actors, is that the same kind of compulsion drives Neil’s deadly adversary Lt. Vincent Hanna of the LA robbery-murder squad, played by Al Pacino, to catch and end the careers of bad guys.           

Here’s the way the dramatic tension played out here, played out in a way that was predictable, predictable in that the bad guys have to take a fall most times in a police procedural, but nevertheless drew this viewer in. McCauley and his crew which included good guy to have around all-around bank robbery handy-man Chris Sheherlis, played by Val Kilmer, plan and execute a robbery of an armored truck loaded with bearer bonds belonging to a well-known money launderer along with one Waingro, a wild boy loose cannon along for the ride. Waingro got jumpy and killed one of the guards and in the end all three guards on the trucked were killed. Neil tried to kill this renegade Waingro but he got away only to cause grief in triplicate throughout the film. In any case they get paid-off although with a close call since that money launderer also a nemesis throughout the film tried to have Neil and crew killed just for the idea of trying to rip off a “connected” guy like him.      

Naturally the robbery-murder, felony murder if the case ever came to trail, had to be investigated and the criminals put behind bars or eliminated and that is where one hot dog bad ass super-cop with strange mannerisms Lt Hanna comes in. He will relentlessly pursue every lead that his well-honed nose and brain can gather up. He almost had Neil and crew in a small caper but Neil sensed something was wrong with the set-up and abandoned the damn thing. Hanna was ticked off but still determined to grab the crew. See he “knew” Neil, knew he had to keep robbing banks or wherever the money was and so eventually he would fall. And Neil “knew,” knew just as well as Hanna did that he had to play the game out-just for the sake of the game. He had done some time and was not going back. Twins. So much so that Hanna “invited” Neil for coffee so they knew each other’s position. Making this almost a twisted buddy film when you think about it.

As everybody should know by now Neil had to go on one last caper-maybe-a big heist of over 12 million so the chase was one. You know as well that our Neil had to land in a ditch, had to take the big sleep after a one-on-one chase at LAX as Neil was trying to leave the country after a side trip to kill that damn Waingro. There is a little sex mixed in with Hanna having trouble with his wife, his third wife, Chris with his, and Neil with his recently picked up girlfriend but the heart of this one is the struggle over “where the money is”-and who gets it.  Great crime flick.