Heat - IFFDAY

Official selection

Crime/ViolencePsychology/Mystery/Suspence/ThrillerRevenge

Widely regarded as a masterpiece of contemporary crime cinema, Michael Mann’s fifth feature film follows the cat-and-mouse chase between Neil McCauley, the meticulous and ruthless leader of a criminal organization, and Vincent Hanna, a relentless LAPD detective. Within the opposing framework of criminal and cop, the two men share an inner world marked by loneliness, professional ethics, and obsession. Mann projects the characters’ psychology onto the cold, expansive nightscapes of Los Angeles, using restrained color palettes, real military training, and on-location sound to heighten the realism of the gunfights. Perfectly executing and simultaneously reinventing the genre’s conventions, the film set the standard for the crime noir genre, influencing countless works—including The Dark Knight (2008). The legendary scene in which Al Pacino and Robert De Niro face each other for the first time on screen is remembered to this day. Heat is the solo film Michael Mann handpicked to screen at the Busan International Film Festival, and its sequel is currently in production.

Programme note by JO Ji-hoon