Heat is an American made crime/thriller/drama film released on December 15, 1995. It was written and directed by Michael Mann. Robert De Niro plays a professional robber named "Neil McCauley," who is a calm, methodical loner and an introvert, while Al Pacino's cop, "Vincent Hanna," is a veteran LAPD homicide detective whose devotion to his job leads to a doomed marriage that is collapsing around him. This is the first movie that Pacino and De Niro have appeared in together onscreen.

The central conflict of the film was based on the experiences of former Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson and his pursuit of a criminal named McCauley in the 1960s.

The film is a remake of L.A. Takedown, a 1989 made-for-television film also written and directed by Mann. Heat was a critical and commercial success, grossing $187,436,818 worldwide.

Neil McCauley (De Niro) is an ex-con and expert thief who has centered his life around the creed "Do not allow anything into your life which you cannot walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you spot the heat around the corner." He and his crew, including compulsive gambler Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer) and ex-con turned family man Michael Cheritto (Sizemore), take part in an elaborate robbery of an armored car. They escape with US$1.6 million in bearer bonds from Malibu Equity Investments, a shell company that launders off-shore drug accounts. Although originally planned as a mere robbery, they end up killing all three guards after the first is executed impulsively by new member Waingro (Kevin Gage), the second is shot in self-defense and the third simply to leave no witnesses.

McCauley meets with his fence, Nate (Voight), who suggests selling the bonds back to their original owner, Roger Van Zant (William Fichtner). Van Zant had the bonds insured and stands to profit from buying the bonds back at a reduced price, though higher than what Nate could conceivably receive on the open market. As retribution for turning the robbery into a triple-homicide, McCauley and crew also attempt to kill Waingro, but he escapes when a police cruiser drives by and distracts McCauley during the attempt. Van Zant double-crosses McCauley and attempts to have him killed during the attempted buy-back, prompting McCauley to call Van Zant and promise to kill him.

The officer investigating McCauley's armored car job is Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Pacino). Hanna's extensive pedigree has made him one of the top detectives in the elite Robbery-Homicide Division of the LAPD. Hanna "searches through the remains of a crime for the scent of his prey and then hunts them down". He takes such extreme devotion to his work that his personal life is in disorder.

Vincent and his team immediately go to work, utilizing a number of leads and informants to bring McCauley and his crew to justice. Meanwhile, McCauley is busy planning another major score: an audacious bank heist valued at US$12 million.

As the plans are being made, the movie explores the personal lives of both men, and how their commitment to being the best in their respective professions has all but destroyed their personal lives: McCauley lives a lonely, barren existence, having severed all links and emotional attachments in furtherance of his creed, although he tells his new girlfriend, Eady, "I'm alone, I am not lonely." He starts to thaw as a result of meeting Eady (Amy Brenneman), a graphic designer who believes him to be a metal salesman. Meanwhile, Hanna's current marriage, his third, to Justine (Diane Venora) is clearly in the last stages of a breakdown — although he is close to and clearly cares dearly for his troubled stepdaughter Lauren (Natalie Portman), whose own father is neglectful. The relationship between Shiherlis (Kilmer) and his wife Charlene (Ashley Judd) is examined as well; their marriage is also apparently disintegrating due to his gambling addiction. Charlene is also cheating on her husband with another man, Marciano (Hank Azaria), who later will become a very important information source to Hanna and his team.

The film culminates in a scene where McCauley and Hanna cross paths and reflect on their chosen lives, over coffee in a diner. During their meeting, Hanna says that while he may not like it, he will kill McCauley if need be to prevent the latter from widowing an innocent. McCauley points out the flip side by saying that he will not hesitate to kill if the cops box him in. McCauley also explains the purpose of his "30 seconds" creed by saying he never wants to go back to prison. The best-laid plans of the thieves for the bank heist are thwarted behind-the-scenes by Waingro. Waingro has attempted to lay low since the attempt on his life by McCauley; he eventually meets Van Zant after looking for criminal work in a biker bar. Waingro leads Van Zant to one of the members of McCauley's crew, Trejo (Danny Trejo).

With his wife being beaten and raped by Waingro and Van Zant's crew, Trejo is forced to reveal McCauley's latest plans. One of Van Zant's subordinates, a police informant named Hugh Benny (Henry Rollins), then tips off the police as to which bank McCauley plans to hit; Hanna and several police officers immediately head to the bank, only to find McCauley and his crew already exiting. The robbery was executed flawlessly; however, as the crew exit the bank and approach the getaway car, Shiherlis sees Hanna and other police officers hiding on the other side of the street. Shiherlis opens fire, and a chaotic, violent shoot-out erupts a busy downtown Los Angeles boulevard. During the gunfight, Hanna's partner, Bosko (Ted Levine), is killed, as is Cheritto and Trejo's replacement driver Breedan (Dennis Haysbert). Another one of Hanna's detectives and several LAPD patrolmen are also shot, though it is unclear if they survived. Shiherlis is wounded, but he manages to escape with McCauley's aid.

Following the disastrous robbery and getaway, McCauley initially believes that Trejo betrayed them. McCauley goes to Trejo's house with the intent to kill him, only to find Trejo severely injured and dying and his wife already dead. In his final moments, Trejo tells McCauley that Waingro and Van Zant are responsible. Trejo inquires into his wife's whereabouts, and McCauley informs him that she is dead. Distraught over his wife's death (and close to death himself,) Trejo tells McCauley, "Don't leave me like this". Respecting Trejo's final wishes, McCauley mercifully kills him and goes to Van Zant's house, demanding to know the whereabouts of Waingro. Van Zant claims not to know and McCauley immediately shoots him.

The police move Charlene Shiherlis and her son Dominic to a safe house. One of Hanna's team, Drucker (Mykelti Williamson), explains that Charlene will be charged as an accessory to her husband and serve jail time if she refuses to turn him over to the police. Drucker also informs her that her son will become a foster child and more prone to a criminal life if she will not cooperate. Chris, who has recovered from his gun-shot wound, eventually shows up, sporting a new hairstyle to disguise his identity. However, despite their marital problems, his wife surreptitiously warns him that the police are present. The two share one last emotional look before Chris gets back in his car. He comes close to being caught as he passes a police checkpoint, but a fake ID card saves him at the last moment.

McCauley, now in love with Eady, breaks his "30 seconds" creed by asking her to flee the country with him. Nate had made prior arrangements for the two to escape to New Zealand; however, upon receiving a tip concerning Waingro's whereabouts from Nate, McCauley makes the impulsive decision to kill him in his hotel room, which is near the airport. After setting off the hotel's emergency alarm to clear the area, McCauley barges in and executes Waingro, then escapes after a short confrontation with a cop. Unknown to McCauley, Waingro is responsible for a number of brutal murders of prostitutes in the city. Hanna is also involved in the investigation of these murders.

Having also acted on a tip-off from Benny, Hanna arrives at the hotel. From a distance, Hanna spots Eady calmly waiting in McCauley's car. Recalling the "30 seconds" discussion that he and McCauley had at the coffee shop (during which McCauley mentions his girlfriend,) Hanna becomes suspicious and approaches Eady. At that moment, McCauley emerges from the building and begins heading for his car, only to realize that Hanna has spotted him. Hanna grabs a shotgun and begins moving towards McCauley. At this critical and emotional moment in the film, McCauley defaults to his "30 seconds" rule and abandons Eady; he disappears into the crowd with Hanna in pursuit.

McCauley jumps over the perimeter fence of the airport and heads to the freight terminal. Hanna is close behind and the two briefly exchange gunfire until McCauley moves again, finding refuge behind the ILS and electronic control system buildings near one of the airport's runways. Hanna follows and the two play a tense game of cat-and-mouse in the dark. McCauley notices that bright runway lights turn on during landings to enable the pilots to land; believing that Hanna will be distracted, he makes a move to take out Hanna. However, as McCauley steps out to shoot with the lights at his back, Hanna is able to see McCauley's shadow and, by a fraction of a second, shoots first, hitting McCauley several times in the chest. Hanna, knowing that he has more in common with McCauley than anyone else in his life, moves to comfort his would-be killer. McCauley reciprocates, taking some solace in his mortal wounds as he will not have to go back to prison. The two men share a final, reflective moment together before McCauley dies.

Director Mann dwells heavily on the personal lives of both the criminals and the police, and in particular, their relationships with their wives and girlfriends. McCauley is forced to break his creed when he becomes involved with Eady (Brenneman), an aspiring graphic artist who is similarly lonely. Shiherlis' destructive behavior takes a toll on his marriage to Charlene (Judd), an ex-Vegas showgirl and mother to his son. She fears her husband's capture and the possibility of her being sent to prison as an accessory to his crimes. Hanna, a workaholic, has neglected his third wife Justine (Venora) and her troubled daughter Lauren (Portman). Over the course of the film, their tenuous relationship also reaches a crossroads.

The "crews" on both sides (McCauley's professional robbers and Hanna's group of detectives) are juxtaposed and shown to have equal skill and competency; this creates tension over which side will triumph, right until the climax. This is shown in their addictions to their respective lines of work, as it is considered the adrenaline that give them meaning in their lives, rather than their personal matters.[3]

This seeming equivalence applies to ethics as well as competency, which gives the film its moral center. A brief scene where Hanna tells his men to "watch their backgrounds," that is, be aware of who is behind the criminals at whom they are shooting, illuminates this. Ethics is also demonstrated by McCauley's meticulous planning and conduct during his jobs. For instance, his trusted crew (except for Waingro) are careful not to kill or provoke the armored truck guards, use non-lethal force to incapacitate the guards at the bank (while also reassuring the customers that their personal accounts are insured), directing their gunfire strictly at the police trying to block their escape during the main shootout, and shortly after Waingro's execution when McCauley knocks out but does not kill the cop trying to arrest him. For McCauley, following ethics is a measure of self-respect as a professional thief, and also because doing so spares his crew unwanted attention.

The effects in the film create a believable illusion of authenticity. The central shoot-out was supervised by former British SAS sergeant Andy McNab, and the details of the bank robbery (rigging junction boxes, cutting into telco lines and alarm circuitry) seem realistic. Microphones were placed properly to allow a realistic echo-effect on the gunshot sounds given that the shoot-out sequence takes place in the midst of tall buildings. Cinematographer Dante Spinotti uses angles and filters in neo-noir style. Composer Elliot Goldenthal provided the score, performed by the Kronos Quartet. Music Supervisor and KCRW personality Chris Douridas created the film's soundtrack, including the use of Moby's "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" at the film's ending. Also of note is Moby's rendition of the solo section in Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades", used in the scene where Hanna chases down McCauley and confronts him, leading to the diner scene.

Throughout the film, McCauley mentions that he lives by the creed that a person should not be attached to anything or anyone that the person cannot walk out on if the “heat” is coming around the corner. McCauley also mentions these words of wisdom to Chris in regard to his wife and therefore in regard to women. At the end of the film when McCauley must make his decision between getting into the car with his girlfriend and risking capture or running away, he chooses to run. While many would take note of this immediately and believe he has stuck to his ideals, in fact, McCauley has not, and broke his dedication much earlier. McCauley allows himself to become so obsessed with catching Waingro that he deliberately puts himself in jeopardy to risk settling a score. The thing McCauley cannot walk out on is, in fact, his revenge on Waingro, and this eventually leads to his demise. He ignores his own words of wisdom and suffers as a consequence.