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Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a homicide cop, works on the other side of the law chasing criminals just like McCauley. He's just as dedicated (the evidence lies in his three tattered marriages) and the armoured truck heist has just come to his attention. Of course, this being the work of McCauley, there is no useful forensic evidence. All the police have to work on is that one of the robbers called a guard 'Slick', as overheard by a nearby vagrant. From here on the parallels between the lives of Hanna and McCauley are explored, in some detail, as they chase each others shadow.
Hanna is busy trying to shore up his rapidly failing marriage, to Justine (Diane Venora), whilst pumping his informers for information. Meanwhile McCauley is both planning to gut a bullion store and (at the opposite end of the emotional scale) falling in love with Eady (Amy Brenneman), a graphic designer who's kept shielded from his criminal dealings. This is somewhat at odds with his stated philosophy (which is to have nothing which you can't walk away from within 30 seconds), but old-age and loneliness seem to be creeping up on him. Hanna has a lucky break and identifies Cheritto, which leads his team to the whole nest of vipers. The raid on the metal depository is discovered and surveillance set up, catching McCauley and his colleagues unawares. However he senses a trap and pulls out, which Hanna allows them to do.
Now comes the big mistake - McCauley agrees to do one more bank job before retiring, even though he knows for certain that the LAPD are on his tail. The beauty is that he might just pull it off, being substantially smarter and more careful than anyone else (particularly his colleagues). Hanna is fascinated by this master criminal (who basically gives his life meaning) and takes him for a coffee one evening (the famed De Niro-Pacino scene). The striking similarities between them are thrown into sharp contrast as they warily circle each other before coming to the conclusion that they are almost one and the same. Neither is put off by this meeting though and the respective teams (of Hanna and McCauley) continue in their headlong rush towards a brutal and bloody showdown.
There is much to be enjoyed in Heat, the latest outing by director Michael Mann. With an iron grip on action and motivation the assorted set pieces are stunning, utilising perfect pacing, inventive camera angles and a thorough understanding of the necessary dynamics. As a centrepiece, the extended and bloody gun battle (worthy of The Wild Bunch) roams the LA streets with fire and destruction, nailing us to our seats. The counterpoint scenes of emotion and family life are almost as well played, although they tend to appear pale in comparison and end up as occasionally superfluous to the story. The real power though is the acting, both from Pacino and De Niro as well as from the fine assortment of supporting actors. The majority of the characters are strong enough to show their own inner reasons for their actions, without needing additional explanation, although there are several players who flit in and out with insufficient attention paid to them. Combine all of this and you're left with an impressive, mostly gripping, character study of near-identical twins.
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