HEAT

“The Godfather 2” features two remarkable actors, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, in the same film.  Regrettably they do not share screen time, as Pacino plays Michael Corleone developing his Mafia empire, while De Niro plays his father, Vito Corleone – more famously portrayed as an older man in the first movie by Marlon Brando – as a young man, ages before Michael was born.  Undoubtedly, though, both actors do a stellar job at portraying tough guys.

So I’m surprised this movie, Heat (1995), doesn’t get more attention.   De Niro plays tough criminal Neil McCauley, head of a gang of bank robbers including Val Kilmer and Tom Sizeless.   Pacino plays Vincent Hanna, LAPD, and the two are inherently at odds with each other.  This doesn’t stop them from a face to face meeting for coffee.  As they cannot resolve their differences amicably, inevitably the showdown we’ve been waiting for is on the way – at LAX.

In addition to the big two, plus Kilmer, the film also features Jon Voight, Dennis Haysbert, Natalie Portman, Hank Azaria (not playing a Simpsons character or Gargamel), Danny Trejo (“MACHETE!”), Henry Rollins, and Jeremy Piven. 

Needless to say there’s plenty of the delicious violence – err, “action” – all us testicle-equipped moviegoers love to see, with a minimum of touchy-feely nonsense the ovary-equipped moviegoers insist upon.  Hell, in that regard I’d put it ahead of “Reservoir Dogs” (in any case I prefer “Pulp Fiction” as Tarantino’s films go).  But for a romantic evening, it’s hard to beat this film.   Knock yourselves out.