Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



Heat (1995)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

Title Screen
Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
Screenshots

Heat (1995)

In writer/director Michael Mann's compelling, three-hour LA crime thriller/drama, it centered its tension-filled story around jaded and obsessed LA detective/cop Vincent Hanna's (Al Pacino) search for notoriously disciplined professional thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro). The cop thriller marked the first time the two powerhouse male actors appeared together on screen, although they co-starred in The Godfather, Part II (1974).

  • the exciting opening sequence was a deadly heist orchestrated by criminal mastermind Neil McCauley (Robert DeNiro) and a gang, taking possession of a Gage armored-van in Los Angeles, when the criminal bank robbers posing as paramedics wearing hockey-goalie masks stole $1.6 million in bearer bonds
  • during the first wary, face-off and confrontational show-down meeting over a cup of coffee in a coffee-shop/diner, two similar aging professionals, who represented different sides of the law conversationally talked: LAPD top cop Lt. Vincent Hanna and crime boss Neil McCauley, "like a couple of regular fellows" - about their respective lives and duties. They both vowed to take the other down if necessary and without hesitation
LAPD Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino)
Neil McCauley (Robert DeNiro)
  • the climactic final botched heist of the downtown LA branch of the Far East National Bank led to a shootout on city streets, when two of the bank robbers, McCauley and his partner, wounded Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), were able to hold off and escape from the authorities with expert gun-handling and duck-and-cover tactics
  • in the conclusion, on an LAX airport tarmac, Hanna single-handedly pursued McCauley and mortally wounded him, after which he took McCauley's hand as he died
LAX Airport Tarmac Concluding Shoot-Out

Opening Robbery of Armored Van in Los Angeles





Climactic Bank Heist and Shootout with LAPD

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