Dreadfully Boring

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Yeah I know every review will inevitably compare this film to its far bigger budget remake. Upon watching the two films back-to-back though I have to say that there are a few things I do enjoy better about this slimmer and more streamlined film than the more bloated HEAT.For one, although I'm a huge fan of De Niro and Pacino, I found Scott Plank and Alex MacArthur much more serious and believable in their roles as far younger up-and-comers with something to prove. MacArthur especially exudes a calm intensity with a little more (albeit tactically restrained) fire under the collar than you'd usually see in a character like this.Secondly, I love the supporting cast here. Instead of the likes of Danny Trejo, Jeremy Piven, and Hank Azaria, we get a little more of a B-crew with some solid work from character actors Juan Fernandez (SALVADOR), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and FLASH GORDON himself Sam J. Jones as some jerk at the bar. Instead of Wes Studi and Ted Levene, we get Richard Chaves (PREDATOR) and Daniel Baldwin. Perennial "that guy" character actor Xander Berkeley plays Waingrow much more as a sniveling wannabe than an actual tough-guy, but I think it actually works better and gives more menace to the character.Oddly enough this film crosses over a lot with the cheeseball Spanish ABYSS knockoff ENDLESS DESCENT in that both movies feature Ely Pouget (who turns in some great work) as the leading lady and open with a shot of the protagonist coming out of a hangover with one foot sticking out from under the sheets. They were both made the same year too! Go figure.TAKEDOWN sorely misses the violence, class, and action of HEAT but still has some pretty heavy stuff considering the budget and the time in which it was made. Mann handles the bank robbery as well as anything you would have seen on "Crime Story" and doesn't skimp on the weaponry in the big set-piece shootouts. I was actually delighted to see them cut out much of the romance and needless character development that HEAT got so wrapped up in (especially in terms of the cook/getaway driver, here played by an extra as opposed to the distractingly Allstate-ed up Dennis Haysbert).There's a few plot differences, but not many as several scenes are line-by-line the same. The ending's a bit of a delight though and much more of a surprise than what we got in HEAT. My only beef with this film has to do with the bad sound and flat TV cinematography. Worth tracking down if you can find a decent copy.

I must say, this original 'Heat' where the remake was more universal with bigger name actors and went into more of the character's lives, whatever, still didn't disappoint. It actually went higher than my expectations, and this being a Michael Mann film too, I should of known better, leading me to wonder that this lower profile 'Heat' pic surely didn't deserve the obscurity it must of had, sitting on the video shelves for years. The two leads are excellent, which again, had me underestimating it, especially McCarthur's performance of our A1 solid professional thief/robber, who he plays straight serious right down the line. I enjoyed him much more than seeing De Niro doing it to be frank. When seeing Pacino do hot shot dick, Hanna, in the remake, Plank, an actor who sadly isn't with us anymore, where I had seen him in some other stuff is far different, from Pacino, his interpretation here I found, mystifyingly exciting, where he brought something with it too. He's definitely someone you don't toy with, as by example in a few scenes, one I thought was hilariously cool like it's leads. I'd rather opt to watch these two than the actor duo in the 96 remake. From the word go, it's typical Michael Mannish, his signature all over this pic, those cool music scores, I never get sick of. That infamous café scene with the antagonist and protagonist, engaged me so much, especially McCarthur again, that same dialogue exchange between the two was beautiful interaction. But what was more engaging, was the pre moment to this scene where outside the coffee house, both parties, who happen to cross paths, are about to draw their guns. Plank smooths the waters, by offering to buy him coffee. The bank shootout/botched job scene was loudly intense, those deafening AK's bringing back the glimpse of a horrid memory, also from 96. Okay, if you've seen Heat like me first, you might be thinking, "Yeah so"? where there's a lot, I mean a lot of identic stuff in this, but remember, this is the original, that inspired the mega hit. Still, this comes off as a success, an underestimated surprise, with a few small differences, what have you, which is remake law, except for 'Funny Games'. Don't let this one slip by, folks, for the two cool leads, and that wonderful Mann direction, which in some ways is unsurpassable, always involving us, where we're part of film too, thanks to this master.

One might think that this is by far inferior to Heat, the second attempt Mann got at this story, with a larger budget, longer running time and better(and definitely more well-known) actors. Comparisons are impossible to avoid, due to how well-known, popular, and, frankly, excellent the latter of these versions is. And yes, it is greater than this; Michael learned from his experiences making this one, and having watched one of these doesn't mean that it's a waste of time to pursue the other one, no, quite the opposite. And this isn't anywhere near as poor as could be feared or maybe even expected. The performances are nicely done, in a lot of the cases. The male leads do well, and are good casting choices, and that extends beyond those two. Yes, you can tell that this was produced for TV, but it's not as bad as with other movies of that type. The action is pretty decent. This gets some of the drama, and does actually develop characters on both sides of the law. The cinematography and editing are well-done. Pacing is fair. This is only 90 minutes, so about half of what the '95 effort is, and thus can't manage the same level of complexity. Meanwhile, it does well with what it's got. The DVD has biographies and a trailer. I recommend this to anyone who has or is considering watching the famed remake of this. 6/10

This movie has the same basic plot outline as Heat and MOST of the same characters, but is in NO WAY "scene-for-scene the same as Heat." The acting is absolutely atrocious and some of the scenes make no sense without some of the setup Heat has. I can understand why these actors haven't gone on to much beyond this movie -- THEY'RE AWFUL!!!!! Some of the storyline is just implausible and downright silly. I can also fully understand why this isn't available on DVD here in North America (the quality of this film is akin to what you might see on late night local television). However, if you're a die-hard Michael Mann fan, as am I, you should still see this, because it because it shows how much development he puts into a story.