Re: RARA-AVIS: re: HEAT

From: james.doherty@gsa.gov
Date: 11 Feb 2000


Re Pieter's weigh-in one *Heat*:

"I agree a 100 %, a kind of modern classic with the also excellent 'L.A. Takedown' as a companion piece: a pity Michael Mann isn't mentioned. He
*wrote* the film, didn't he?"

Wrote and directed, in fact. He did the same for *Manhunter* which, in many ways, I consider to be superior to the sequel, *Silence of the Lambs*.

One thing about *Heat* that struck me (and I'm surprised no one else noticed this) is how similar DeNiro's character is to Richard Stark's Parker. Same ultra-professional attitude. Same phillosophy. Same loyalty to colleagues. Same ruthlessness. Same sort of relationships with women. Kilmer's character, handsomer, younger, looser in the application of professional standards struck me as very similar to Grofield. Even the set-up of DeNiro's world, parallel to but outside of regular society, with a network of communication lines, etc. (Voight's character struck me as similar to Handy McKay), and the grandiose nature of the scores seemed right out of Richard Stark. I remember thinking that Stark might have had at least the ghost of a chance of suing for copyright infringement.

JIM DOHERTY

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