There’s a reason why Netflix has a reputation as the best streaming service out there. It constantly broadcasts some of the best TV shows, and only this year it brings such wonderful and diverse programs as Beef, Night agent, Diplomatand Queen Charlotte. However, the films are more successful. For every Oscar nomination The power of the dogthere are half a dozen Extractionwith or Red notices, bland, forgettable films that have no lasting effect on the viewer after their initial debut.
That probably explains why Warmth, a movie made almost 30 years ago, is currently one of the most popular movies on Netflix, ranked in the top 10 for the past two weeks. The Al Pacino/Robert De Niro action drama, which was critically acclaimed when it was first released in December 1995, has stood the test of time not only because of its stellar acting, perfect direction, beautiful cinematography and moody music, but also because it is simply one of the best movies ever made. That is, of course, a lofty claim, but it is justified. If you have already watched Warmthor you’ve never heard of him and are curious to see Michael Mann’s film, here are a few reasons why it’s worth watching.
Heat has a great story that is both simple and drawn out
Warner Bros.
WarmthThe plot can be boiled down to this: it’s a cops-and-robbers movie, but told in detail, with attention paid to character development, tension and realism. Neil McCauley, played by Robert De Niro in one of his last truly great leading man roles, is a career thief based in Los Angeles. After a botched heist that kills several bank guards, McCauley and his crew decide to pull another score: to rob a $12.2 million bank in downtown LA. Hot on their heels is Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino, in top Pacino form), an ex-Marine. and an LAPD cop who methodically puts together McCauley’s plan and tries to stop it.
It is Warmthstory in a nutshell, but the genius of the film is that it also contains a multitude of side stories that are delicately interwoven within the overall plot of the heist film. There’s Neil’s gentle flirtation with Eady, a lonely graphic designer he meets in a bookstore; Vincent’s crumbling marriage to Justine, who is angry that Vincent’s obsession with work has been kept quiet; Vincent’s stepdaughter Lauren, quietly sinking under a wave of teenage depression; and Chris, Neil’s closest partner who has a tumultuous marriage to Charlene.
There’s a lot going on; for example, I didn’t even mention the serial killer subplot! But Warmth it never feels cluttered, nor do any of its stories feel underdeveloped. Everyone in the large cast is given a chance to shine, but Mann always keeps the focus on the narrative’s driving force: the final heist and the key players involved in making it happen or preventing it from happening.
The cast of Heat includes some of Hollywood’s best actors
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It is not an exaggeration to say that everyone in Hollywood was chosen Warmth, but it sure seems like it. In addition to Pacino and De Niro, Heat also starred Val Kilmer as bank robber Chris Shiherlis. Kilmer was at the height of his fame in 1995, having just played The Dark Knight in Batman forever and he just starred in an action movie in 1997 Saint. As Kilmer’s wife, Ashley Judd began her rise to Hollywood stardom after earning critical acclaim in Smoke the same year and is planning his next film, an adaptation of John Grisham Time to kill. As Vincent’s stepdaughter Lauren, Natalie Portman made an impression as early as 1993. Professionaland later he would continue to create Beautiful girls and Mars attacks! 1996 and, of course, The Phantom Menace in 1999.
The rest of the cast includes (deep breath) Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Wes Studi, The Simpsons‘ Hank Azaria, Tom Noonan, Mykelti Williamson, Diane Venora, Dennis Haysbert, Danny Trejo, William Fichtner, Henry Rollins, Jeremy Piven, Bud Cort and many, many more. Heat employed a who’s who of established stars from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, newcomers who would dominate the rest of the ’90s and ’00s, and character actors still working today (Fichtner was just in Hypnotic with Ben Affleck), and the result was one of the most talented film lineups of the 1990s.
Heat’s director is one of the greatest filmmakers of today
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If you’re a movie buff, you know who Michael Mann is. But if you haven’t, you’ve probably seen some of his work on the big screen or TV. His feature film debut was in 1981 Thiefa little-known thriller starring James Caan that has some plot and stylistic similarities to Warmth. Later he did Manhunter, which was the first film to put Hannibal Lecter on the big screen. However, his biggest claim to fame in the 1980s was his writing and producing Miami Vicea very popular TV show starring Don Johnson which Mann later adapted into a 2006 feature film starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx which is also worth watching.
Other notable works by Mann include Daniel Day-Lewis’ outdoor action epic The Last of the Mohicansan exciting real-life drama The Insider with Pacino and Russell Crowe, biopic But with Will Smith, a thriller about a killer Collateral with Tom Cruise, the image of a gangster Public enemies with Johnny Depp and Pale blue eyeChristian Bale, i Black hat with Chris Hemsworth. Not all of these films are winners, but they are clearly all from the same director, one who is clearly drawn to stories of complicated people caught up in the law and order system.
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Warmth is Mann at his peak and purest form. It shows Mann’s flair for saturated visuals (he likes deep blues to accentuate the frame) and for characters that don’t fit into one mold. Although he’s one of the good guys, Pacino’s Hanna isn’t particularly likable. He ignores his wife, is loud and flirts with breaking the law to get what he wants.
On the other hand, the audience understands De Niro’s McCauley more and can sympathize with his actions. He may be on the wrong side of the law (and yes, he kills people who are just doing their jobs), but up until the finale, McCauley is more of a crowd favorite than Hanna. It is this ambiguity of right and wrong, and the moral grays in which his characters find themselves, that make Mann one of the best directors working today and what he does Warmth stand out from other films.
A score that evokes both mystery and fear
HEAT God Moving Over The Face of the Waters – Check Out (Film Version) – Moby / Kronos Quartet
An overlooked aspect Warmth is film music that not only complements the action on the screen, but also deepens it, giving it another emotional dimension. Composer Elliot Goldenthal, who would later win an Oscar for his work on the Julie Taymor biopic Fridacreates a whimsical soundscape that fits perfectly with Warmthan isolated, dreamy and dangerous place in Los Angeles. It’s effective in the quieter moments, especially when both Pacino’s and De Niro’s characters try to connect with their loved ones and fail. In the action scenes, the music is appropriately amplified but never intrusive, allowing the sound design, especially the realistic gunshots heard in the bravura bank robbery sequence, to take center stage.
The film also expertly samples the music of then-unknown techno artist Moby, with one of his most famous songs, God moves over the face of the waters, which is used in the last minutes of the film and transmitted over the closing credits. I can’t really discuss why this song works so well without spoiling the ending, but I can say that the song is a perfect summary of everything that came before. Beautiful, sad and tragic, and the only logical musical choice for the inevitable showdown between Pacino and De Niro.
Why the Heat have stood the test of time
Heat – original movie trailer
What, a great cast, plot and director are not enough? What about how Warmth marks the first time Pacino and De Niro share a scene together? Yes, it’s the famous “restaurant scene” you may have heard of, when two enemies essentially stop their conflict and have a heart-to-heart about how they both have more in common than they care to admit. Or the excellent female supporting cast, all of whom form the heart of the film?
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Last but not least, you should watch Warmth because it’s an action movie that does action well. It makes us care about the characters involved and doesn’t sensationalize the shooting or the violence. The ultimate bank robbery is a case study in how a director uses sound to create tension and how that tension accentuates the action depicted in the scene. The result is one of the most exhilarating and thrilling action sequences ever, at that Warmth it is rightly remembered even today.
Warmth now streaming on Netflix.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn