The Director's Series, Michael Mann, No. 1


 

Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

Heat (1995)
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer
Director: Michael Mann
About: I have long-appreciated Mann and his films. But every once in a while, you get an iconic classic. For me, that movie is Heat. It's not only my favorite film from Mann, it's one of my favorite films, period. The story is great. The production is great. And there are a couple of sequences, particularly the bank heist, that have stuck with me from the first time I saw it. This is the kind of film that drew me to the medium, and it's long been a great example of art for me. I know I'm not alone. But when it came to picking films I like from Mann, there were some tough choices but top of the list has always been Heat. It's an incredible film and a classic.

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