Director Michael Mann believes his classic crime thriller Heat should be viewed as an ensemble film rather than just an Al Pacino movie. The 82-year-old American film director and screenwriter recently attended the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, where he held a masterclass on his acclaimed 1995 film.
During the event, a moderator brought up an old interview where Mann supposedly referred to the film as “an Al Pacino film.” Addressing the misconception, he responded, “I don’t think it’s Al Pacino’s film. That film’s De Niro’s film, Val Kilmer’s film, Jon Voight’s film, Mykelti Williamson’s,” emphasizing that “it was an ensemble of brilliant actors and one of the best experiences ever as a director.”
The Manhunter director further noted that telling an authentic story was the key motivation behind the film. Mann remarked, “The motivation for Heat was a challenge, and the challenge was to tell authentic stories about people who have been as complex as we all are in life.”
He also shed light on the film’s lengthy runtime, revealing that Warner Bros. executives Bob Daly and Terry Semel initially wanted to request cuts but changed their minds after watching the final product. The director of The Insider recalled them saying, “It’s two hours and 45 minutes. We’re not cutting. We normally would cut this film.” Mann concluded by stating that Heat “is made for the big screen, the scale, the artistic construction, all for the big screen.”
