Heat:
Director's Definitive Edition (1995/Regency/Fox Blu-ray Set)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B+ Film: B+
One
of the best back catalog releases on Blu-ray this year so far is by
far this beautiful restoration of Michael Mann's modern heist classic
Heat (1995), which stars Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val
Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, and a very young
Natalie Portman. A huge influence on the films of Christopher Nolan
(specifically The Dark Knight), Heat is one of my
personal favorite crime dramas and I'm definitely a fan of this
longer Director's Cut and new presentation of the film on Blu-ray
disc.
Set
against the backdrop of Los Angeles, a gang of armed thieves led by
Neal MacAuley (De Niro) are hitting serious targets that include
major banks, vaults, and armored cars. One of their operations, an
armored-car robbery, goes bad, putting LAPD homicide detective Vince
Hanna (Pacino) on the mission. An expert in his field, Hanna knows
it will take a lot to bring these dangerous, armed thieves down, and
it will end one of the most elaborate gun battles in cinema history
when the thieves reach their maximum target.
Presented
in crisp 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of
2.40:1 and a lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 track,
this new presentation was overseen by Michael Mann and is his refined
vision for what the film should look and sound like. There was a
release a few years ago in the same format (see below), but this one
has been tinkered with a bit and overall is a bit darker than
previous releases but more keen to detail. A 4K 2160p release in the
future, however, is inevitable.
A
digital UV copy of the film is also included, but no standard
definition DVDs.
Special
Features include...
NEW
- Academy Panel reuniting Mann, Pacino and De Niro and moderated by
Christopher Nolan
NEW
- Toronto International Film Festival Q&A with Mann
Feature
Length Audio Commentary by Michael Mann
The
Making of Heat
True
Crime
Crime
Stories
Into
the Fire
Pacino
and De Niro: The Conversation
Return
to the Scene of the Crime
Additional
Footage
Deleted
Scenes
Theatrical
Trailers
Surprise
of a Lifetime
Two
Actors Collide
Closing
In
All
in all, if you're a fan, I would pick up this modestly priced disc as
its new transfer and new extras, make it a collector's item.
For
more on the film, here's our coverage on the older Warner Blu-ray
edition...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9457/Heat+(1995/Warner+Blu-ray)
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
