“The Greatest Heist Movie Ever Made…one of those rare movies that promised the moon and the stars and delivered in every imaginable way” – Gerardo Valero, RogerEbert.com

One of the definitive films of the 1990s, Michael Mann’s HEAT is an epic study of the psychology of cops and robbers. Famously featuring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino’s first on-screen meeting, the film is a quintessential heist tale told with an epic sweep. Los Angeles has never looked so intoxicatingly enigmatic as it does in master cinematographer Dante Spinotti’s gorgeously abstracted cityscapes, which provide a coolly menacing backdrop to some of the greatest heist sequences ever put on film. De Niro plays master criminal Neil McCauley who’s trying to control the rogue actions of one of his men, while also planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other’s plans, leading to one of the most iconic actor tête-à-têtes in cinematic history as De Niro and Pacino face off across a restaurant table.

Of course, DeNiro and Pacino aren’t the only all-timers in HEAT; the late great Val Kilmer is also on hand, turning in a soulful, achingly romantic performance as wounded gunman Chris Shiherlis. Here’s Michael Mann on Kilmer’s incredible range: “While working with Val on Heat I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.”

This film is screening as part of Arkadin’s mini-tribute to the great Val Kilmer!