Al Pacino and Robert De Niro dually power the momentum and large scale of this groundbreaking film written and directed by Michael Mann. In the wake of a precision heist of an armored truck, an obsessive detective (Pacino) begins to hunt ruthless, professional thief Neil McCauley (De Niro) through the streets of Los Angeles. As the stakes escalate, their lives begin to mirror and unravel, and McCauley’s crew initiates its most dangerous and complex heist. Co-starring Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, Amy Brenneman, Diane Venora, Natalie Portman and Jon Voight, Heat delivers hard-hitting action, gripping suspense and stunning performances.
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Heat makes its long-awaited 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with a really strong 2160p HDR10 transfer that allows the film to look better than it ever has on home entertainment, but it is a transfer that is sure to be met with criticism from certain parties. This release is the “Director’s Definitive Edition” which was first released on Blu-Ray in 2017 that has been tweaked by director Michael Mann. Outside of a couple of excised lines, the movie remains pretty much intact structurally, but Mann has given the film a slightly different color timing. While the grade is darker than the one found on the 2009 Blu-Ray from Warner Bros., it is far from the atrocity that some directors have delivered when they start revisiting their work. It has not been given a blanket teal grade, and there are still nuances to be found or are even enriched by this more stylistically moody presentation.
When compared to both the old Warner Blu-Ray and the 2017 Blu-Ray, this disc offers notable improvements in many respects. Those releases were contending with some digital noise and black levels that could have been better optimized, among other issues. This new 4K release has a lovely amount of natural film grain that allows this movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific text and some details of the production design. The image presents with a miraculous amount of depth that makes this scenery feel more three dimensional than ever. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are subtle but welcome, especially when you look at the interior of Vincent’s house and the clothing of various characters.
The UHD disc contains nuanced colors throughout even with the dark and depressed tones. Mann basically dispatches with HDR implementation, keeping things very controlled and to his specifications. There is technically HDR, but you cannot go into this one thinking it is going to be a showcase of vivid highlights. This goes to the crux of what many will find to be a flaw with this transfer: this is a dark transfer overall. Not so dark that it ruins the movie, but if for some reason your television is directly in front of some bay windows and the sun is bright in the sky, you may have some issues. Those who watch in a dark room should be more able to appreciate the nuances found in even the darkest shadows. If you have a television that has been calibrated and can properly tone-map, you are going to be in business. Those who have seen the previously-available 4K stream will have an idea of what to expect, but an actual 4K disc such as this one has a much stronger control over the black levels. There is pretty much nothing in the way of crush to be found here, and new details are uncovered in the shadows.
Skin tones look more natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail including perspiration and scrapes across the face. In terms of pure detail, this transfer is the best the film has ever looked. There will be those who are not a fan of the aesthetic changes, and anyone who is extremely sensitive to darker transfers may not want to chance their experience with this one. If you can get past some slight revisionism and have a properly calibrated television in a light-controlled environment, you should have a blast with this really fetching release.
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a powerful DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio track that offers a nearly perfect representation of the film. This is the same track from the previous 2017 Blu-Ray rather than a new Dolby Atmos presentation, but it is hard to fault the studio for not messing with what was not broken. The sound design opens up to the world in a really fulfilling way. The movie offers up plenty of chances for the track to show off with gunfire and crashes really giving the speakers a workout. In these scenes, the soundstage demonstrates how open and rich it is in its nuanced execution.
The score from Elliot Goldenthal is presented with an impressive amount of clarity and fidelity. Music is used effectively throughout the presentation, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. The dialogue comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Rear speakers get a splendid amount of activity throughout, especially when it comes to action set pieces. The low-end support is hard hitting when the moment calls for it, which it often does. The film can arguably get too loud during the ending at the runway, but it never feels like a sonic mess. This track is a very impressive representation of this film.
Heat is one of the best crime films of the past several decades, if not of all time. At nearly three hours long, director Michael Mann finds a way to craft a character-driven story that keeps the audience equally invested in both sides of the equation so that no scene ever feels superfluous. It also does not hurt that some of the most talented actors of their generation are on board to anchor the drama in honest performances. The action scenes are fantastically thrilling and are given more weight due to their necessity to the plot. Every element is masterful. 20th Century Studios has released a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray which features a tremendous A/V presentation and a top-notch array of special features. With this release, the film has finally been treated with the respect it deserves on home entertainment. Essential
Heat is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: 20th Century Studios and Buena Vista Home Entertainment have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
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