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I think Assassination Games is certainly a cut above the usual direct-to-dvd releases (I don't recall it geeting even a limited theatrical release - shame). Due in no smal part, imo, to Van Damme himself.
But nothing beats Hard Target. A 90's Yancy Butler as the Van Damme Girl, Lance Henrikson & Arnold Vosloo as the Van Damme Villain & Henchman respectively and the main man himself rocking a mighty mulett.
Jcvd and AWOL the best
Indeed. Definitely wasn't a waste of time in the slightest, I felt.
I read that before I started up the film. I'm not sure, but Seagal is nearly the same character in ever single film, so watch any other movie of his and we would have an idea of how he would have been in the movie.
For a film on it's own it's unique and fun. For a film adaptation to a videogame not very good. BUT!!! Besides GoldenEye, this film defined my childhood and I love it!
10/10 :-bd
I love that film, and Owen is one of my favorite actors !
nice poster don't think i seen that before
It definitely had some hilarious moments in it that had me in tears, I loved the buddy chemistry between Hill and Tatum, and it was all around a very good, funny movie. I hope this sequel comes through.
<center><font size = 4>part 5</font></center>
<center><font color = darkblue size = 6>HEAT (1995)</font></center>
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We have now arrived at my favorite Michael Mann film ever. 1995’s HEAT is perhaps even a downright perfect film in my book. I love it, I praise it, I watch it regularly and thus far I’ve never even once caught myself falling asleep or having my mind slip away in distracting thoughts. HEAT is the very reason I started checking out all of Mann’s oeuvre when I did and it’s the main reason for sure why I hold him in such high esteem.
To be fair though, HEAT had more or less already been made as a television film in ’89 called L.A. Takedown. It featured a different cast and its budget was of course far below that of HEAT. In a way, L.A. Takedown had given Mann a chance to see what works and what doesn’t, thus allowing him to perfect the film when putting together an expensive remake. Some might argue that’s a particular form of cheating but then, isn’t the final outcome the only thing we ought to judge?
I’d say it is, if only because HEAT is such a step up from L.A. Takedown. First and foremost, there’s the script, written by Mann himself. As I mentioned before, when talking about Thief and Manhunter, Mann is interested in atypical characters. He shows us a cop but not your familiar hero cop who has it all sorted out in life. Vincent Hanna’s life is far from perfect. His marriage, one of many, is at the brink of self-destruction. His current wife has a pill and booze problem and meanwhile complains about his constant absence as a result of his 24/7 job dedication. His stepdaughter struggles to cope with her biological parents’ divorce and seems to be going through an uneven youth, having in fact more confidence in Vincent than in her own mother.
On the opposite side is a collection of tough criminals and much to Mann’s good habit we find out that they aren’t necessarily people you wouldn’t want to hang around with. In fact, one tends to sympathize with them, as we understand that they do apply some kind of ethics while robbing banks and that they do take good care of each other and their families. Top of the list is Neil McCauley, who at first confesses that while he’s alone, he’s not lonely, yet eventually finds happiness in the arms of Eady, an artist he accidentally meets and who confronts him with the emotional voids he’s been repressing for so long. However much he loves her and eventually wants to have a good life with her abroad, he shall never abandon that one rule as long as he’s still on the job: when you sense the heat around the corner you have to be able to walk out on everything and everyone within 30 seconds.
These two characters, Vincent and Neil, are the main characters in the film but they are by no means the only characters we shift our focus to. A good two dozen people come and go but it never feels in this three hour film that there’s too much character building. Everyone is used to best serve the story, never too much, never too little. Mann perfectly understands characters and how to write and develop them.
Casting is spot-on, with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as the main leads in what I would argue is their best performance to date. Pacino has a peculiar swagger going but one that results in a unique presence on screen. De Niro also gives us his very best, having never looked better and more polished, convincing me that he’s one tough homicidal bank robber when he has to be, but a sympathetic and gentle friend and partner, even adversary, any other time. The rest of the bunch also displays brilliant casting for this film. Val Kilmer, in what I would call his very best performance ever, Tom Sizemore, whom I love in everything he does, Danny Trejo, Ashley Judd, William Fichtner, Jon Voight (looking awesome!), Natalie Portman, Hank Azaria, Ted Levine… the list can keep growing for a while longer. Seldom have I seen such an ensemble produce such a coherent, intertwined collection of performances. Part of the film’s power is in the cast and what the cast does.
As with the previous couple of films, I gravitate most towards Dante Spinotti’s excellent cinematography. The coloring, the choice of film stock (playing around with graininess as only a man of his talents can do) and the choice of shots, it all works. Not a single shot feels wrong or out of place, not a single moment feels like there were better alternatives. Mann is HEAT’s chief architect, but Spinotti is HEAT’s chief designer. I dare say that without his input HEAT would still have been great, but not quite as great as it ended up being.
Then there’s Goldenthal’s fantastic score, always confirming the mood of the moment, never hijacking it. Speaking of the music, two of my favorite scenes in the entire film, the bank heist and the subsequent shootout, are given the best musical treatment possible. The bank heist is accompanied by a pulsating, repetitive mix of enigmatic percussion and superb base; the shootout features no music at all. The latter is something I love quite a bit. Many composers want to make action even more spectacular by imposing bombastic loudness on it. Sometimes that can only pull us out of the events. In the HEAT shootout, there’s no music, and the deafening noise produced by the firearms and cars suddenly turns into an exciting and realistic war scene in downtown LA. Speaking of this shootout, it may be the best cops-versus-robbers gunfight I’ve ever seen on film!
Saying HEAT is a marvellous film is like stating the obvious. I recommend it to almost everyone. Human drama, impressive action, great acting and fabulous cinematography all contribute to the awesomeness of this film. Perhaps I'm a victim of my own enthusiasm, giving this film more than I should. But I can't, in good conscience, find anything wrong with this film. Perhaps Michael Mann made this film for me and I resonate more with it than some other folks. That's okay, but overall I still recommend you watch this film once and then once again because you will have missed stuff the first time that you might pick up on repeat viewing. Indeed, HEAT has a very high replay value. It isn't a whodunit or a mystery film with a surprise twist at the end. Those lose a lot of their power when you see them multiple times. HEAT is as much about the experience, the acting, the stylistic choices Mann and Spinotti made, as it is about the story. So sit back and watch this mid 90's crime thriller. This is, after all, Michael Mann's finest film, IMO of course.
<font color = red>Final score:</font> 10/10
DD's Michael Mann retrospective score card:
HEAT: 10/10
Thief: 9/10
Manhunter: 8/10
The Last Of The Mohicans: 7/10
The Keep: 5,5/10
DD's David Fincher retrospective score card:
Seven: 9,5/10
The Social Network: 9,5/10
Zodiac: 8,5/10
The Game: 8/10
Panic Room: 8/10
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: 8/10
Alien³: 7,5/10
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button: 7,5/10
Fight Club: 7/10
Looking forward to it ;)
'The Insider' is next, correct?
You and I both; it's phenomenal. Such a great storyline, building up and building up to one of the greatest bank robbery scenes I've ever seen.
Uh, mate, Shutter Island was directed by Martin Scorsese, who's generally considered one of the greatest directors of all time and who started making films in the 1960s. You may not have enjoyed Shutter Island, but Scorsese has always been one of the most acclaimed and influential American directors of the last 50 years. He was at the spearhead of the new Hollywood movement in the 1970s. Ever seen Taxi Driver, or Raging Bull, or Goodfellas? All timeless classics directed by this great man. You do Marty a great disservice by referring to him as a "so called modern director".
Not sure if anyone recognises me, but I used to post on this forum years ago before the redesign. I've been browsing around for a while now but I felt compelled to break radio silence to defend Scorsese, since he's my favourite director. Also, good to see some love for Heat, one of my favourite crime films.
Why not introduce yourself to some of the newer members here:
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/13/new-members-introduce-yourself/p21#Item_631
Welcome back, it's great to see you.
Marty is overrated IMO. He's better than most but not in Kubrick class or Malick's or kitano's or Soderbergh or Capra or Ford or Hawks or Fellini or Wilder or Keaton or Welles or Huston or Eastwood or Lang or Woo or Lang or Huston or Lean or Coppola These guys were not only great directors they understood the human heart the emotion behind a character. Marty just observes and uses arty film techniques and puts it up all on screen. His films have no heart for me.
While Marty is my personal favourite, I would agree that Kubrick is a superior director. However, what sets Scorsese apart from the others for me is that he's one of the few directors who's never lost "it". For example, Coppola's output in the seventies was incredible, but after that he descended into a pit of mediocrity. Scorsese has at least one masterpiece for each decade IMO, and I think that's a testament to his ability to adapt and refine his craft. I would say his films have at least more heart than those of Stanley Kubrick, who's work, despite its brilliance, is notorious for being emotionally cold. And I would argue that Taxi Driver is one of the most successful character studies around, you really see into the character of Travis and who he is.
Moreover, Scorsese has always been a great innovator, many of the techniques employed in Taxi Driver for example are highly unorthodox. Even if his films aren't for you, then you have to appreciate the beauty of a film like Raging Bull. However, all I took offence to was your calling Marty a "so called modern director", when he is anything but! :)
Indeed it is, @Creasy47.
You really ought to give it a try, watching all of Mann's theatrically released films in the order in which they were released. It's interesting to see the fluctuations in quality in the 80s (Thief: great -> The Keep: meh -> Manhunter: interesting), and then the rise to high acclaim in the 90s (Mohicans -> Heat -> Insider (Oscar nominations)) and so on.
I promise that after my Mann retrospective is finished, I shall move on to Kubrick, Nolan, and more... ;-)
I will say, though, that I bet you're having a lot of fun with it, @DarthDimi. Even watching all of the M:I, 'Die Hard,' etc. films in a row is a real blast.