Heat (1995)
I can’t remember which former sweetie-pie said to me, “You’ve never seen Heat? We’ve got to see it!” because he knew I liked Al Pacino. There were two honeys in my life at that time—both could be found in the title of my favorite Pacino movie—and both preferred very manly movies; while I can’t point the finger and blame one man for the recommendation, it’s fair to say that whoever it was didn’t know my taste in movies very well.
Heat is so violent, so creepy, so masculine, and so awful, if I was forced to actually pay attention during the entire three-hour running time, I might be scarred for life. I can’t imagine the sufferings of any poor woman who saw this movie in the theaters. Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, and Kevin Gage are bank robbers. Al Pacino is the head policeman trying to track them down and arrest them, since they’ve also killed people. Believe it or not, there are women in this movie, but they’re not treated respectfully. Diane Venora plays Al Pacino’s wife, and she’s given a sex scene and a couple of argument scenes about sex. Ashley Judd plays Val Kilmer’s wife and her character is corrupted yet incredibly weak. Amy Brenneman is Robert De Niro’s love interest, and her character is also weak, sexually loose, and a tool to try and soften audiences towards his character. “Aw, he’s not entirely evil,” we’re supposed to say, “See, he’s nice to the girl!” That device didn’t work on me, because lots of people can be nice for five minutes when they want something—a longer date, another date, etc.—and then for the rest of the day, they’re despicable people. And finally Natalie Portman, who plays Diane’s teenaged daughter, probably needed therapy after finishing this movie. I don’t know what her parents were thinking, letting their fourteen-year-old act in this film, but I’m appalled that Child Services weren’t called.
There are a few famous scenes to come out of this movie, and a few long shootouts, but I really couldn’t stand it. I hate intense violence, and I hate graphic descriptions of crimes that might give people in the audience helpful hints to plan their own crimes—which this movie has done. How did I make it through all three hours of this horrifically violent siege, you might ask? I read a book while the other person in the room continued to enjoy the movie, looking up at the screen every few minutes to remind myself why my book was infinitely more entertaining and healthy. Next time anyone recommends this movie to me, I’ll run for the hills.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to graphic violence and an upsetting scene involving a child, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
More Al Pacino movies here!
Heat is so violent, so creepy, so masculine, and so awful, if I was forced to actually pay attention during the entire three-hour running time, I might be scarred for life. I can’t imagine the sufferings of any poor woman who saw this movie in the theaters. Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, and Kevin Gage are bank robbers. Al Pacino is the head policeman trying to track them down and arrest them, since they’ve also killed people. Believe it or not, there are women in this movie, but they’re not treated respectfully. Diane Venora plays Al Pacino’s wife, and she’s given a sex scene and a couple of argument scenes about sex. Ashley Judd plays Val Kilmer’s wife and her character is corrupted yet incredibly weak. Amy Brenneman is Robert De Niro’s love interest, and her character is also weak, sexually loose, and a tool to try and soften audiences towards his character. “Aw, he’s not entirely evil,” we’re supposed to say, “See, he’s nice to the girl!” That device didn’t work on me, because lots of people can be nice for five minutes when they want something—a longer date, another date, etc.—and then for the rest of the day, they’re despicable people. And finally Natalie Portman, who plays Diane’s teenaged daughter, probably needed therapy after finishing this movie. I don’t know what her parents were thinking, letting their fourteen-year-old act in this film, but I’m appalled that Child Services weren’t called.
There are a few famous scenes to come out of this movie, and a few long shootouts, but I really couldn’t stand it. I hate intense violence, and I hate graphic descriptions of crimes that might give people in the audience helpful hints to plan their own crimes—which this movie has done. How did I make it through all three hours of this horrifically violent siege, you might ask? I read a book while the other person in the room continued to enjoy the movie, looking up at the screen every few minutes to remind myself why my book was infinitely more entertaining and healthy. Next time anyone recommends this movie to me, I’ll run for the hills.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to graphic violence and an upsetting scene involving a child, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
More Al Pacino movies here!