With the 159th pick, Team Clint Eastwood selects Heat (1995) in the Drama category (for the time being).
Aside from its landmark status as being the first movie to feature cinematic legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino on screen at the same time - reason enough to warrant heavyweight status - Michael Mann's absolutely epic crime drama is packed with goodies: a deep, all-star cast, a compelling and intricate story that unfolds seamlessly, and of course, superlative direction by Mann, who has released several highly-esteemed films - none of which, I venture, come close to the achievements he makes in this one.
I didn't see this movie until a few years ago and it instantly vaulted to favorite status; I am equally enthralled by successive viewings. Mann does so many things right: the entire movie was shot on location without a single soundstage, giving it an ultra-real effect. The two major action setpieces in the film - both robberies - benefit from taking place on Los Angeles streets and Mann ups the realism by letting the sound effects rule the atmosphere; no music is used in these scenes. The latter sequence especially is gripping for its depiction of combat-zone brutality on a crowded downtown avenue in broad daylight (evidently this scene was actually screened for US Marine recruits at one point as an example of how to retreat while under fire - more trivia
here). Indeed, the setting in this film is as important as any of the characters, playing a large role in all of the scenes; a romance that develops between De Niro and the character played by Amy Brenneman is all the more compelling for taking place in busy restaurants and overlooking the distinctive L.A. landscape at night, with its blinking lights - Mann uses effective filters to enhance the humid, muggy atmosphere.
I have a minor quibble with the ending - I would have rolled credits before the inevitable final chase - but even this is inconsequential; the way the film does wrap up nicely punctuates the respectful back-and-forth between the two leads. The storyline that engages these men works as a perfect parallel for their real-life personas.
The aforementioned robbery shooutout sequence - best viewed on a big screen with a pumping soundsystem (some spoilers in this sequence!)