90s Movie Review - Heat

Director: Michael Mann
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 171 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman

Description: A group of professional bank robbers start to feel the heat from police when they unknowingly leave a clue at their latest heist.

Review: “Heat” is directed by Michael Mann and stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The film has a good mix of action, crime, tension, romance and drama.
The title “Heat” refers to the heat you feel when the cops are just around the corner. Neil McCauley’s (Robert De Niro) life motto is that you should live a life that you can leave behind in 30 seconds. The heat comes from Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a detective who spends his days tracking down thugs.
When you see a professional at work in a movie, you easily sympathize that character. Even if it’s an unscrupulous serial killer, if he’s good at what he does and you see it through his eyes. In “Heat” they use this. McCauley and his gang and Hanna are all very good at what they do. Add the natural charisma both actors have and it’s really hard to pick a side in this cat and mouse game.
Besides the well-known elements in a gangster movie, director Mann shows us a different side of the leading characters. Workaholic Vincent Hanna is in a relationship that won’t work, because he’s never home and he has a stepdaughter with psychological problems. Neil McCauley falls in love with a woman, but can’t tell her the truth about how he makes a living. Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer)  is a gambling addict and the woman he loves (Ashley Judd) is cheating on him.  
The original story and the fabulous performances make “Heat” a breathtaking action thriller, one of the best in the genre.

Rating: 5/ 5

 

90s Movie Review - Fear

Director: James Foley
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Wahlberg, William Petersen, Alyssa Milano, Amy Brenneman

Description: When Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) met David (Mark Wahlberg); handsome, charming, affectionate, he was everything. It seemed perfect, but soon she sees that David has a darker side. And his adoration turns to obsession, their dream into a nightmare, and her love into fear.

Review: Daddy’s little girl is all grown up. That’s what Steve realizes when his daughter Nicole comes home with her boyfriend David. A charming and good looking young man at first sight. But David has a dark side.
Steve didn’t like him from the start. He starts an investigation, to find out any dirt about David. But neither Nicole nor his wife Laura seem to see the problem. When Nicole sees a more aggressive side of David, she starts to be scared of him.
“Fear” is a really strong thriller, in Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg’s early days. Especially Wahlberg is good, as the psychopath David. The movie is entertaining and a lot better than most reviews claim it to be.

Rating: 3, 5/ 5