Thief vs Heat

Deadly Ferret · 29 Dec 2006 at 02:22

I've just watched Thief again, and have seen Heat twice as well. I think Thief has a slight edge on Heat, and it's the very strong Frank character and atmospheric music that provides it.

I expect I'll be in a minority on this, as I know how cult Heat has become, but this is a genuine case of going on the merits rather than trying to be different.

Oh yeah, for anybody who doesn't realise why I'm comparing the two, it's because they're not only a similar style of film, but both by Mann as well.

Deadly Ferret · 29 Dec 2006 at 06:02

Come back when you've seen it, as then you'll be entitled to an opinion...

Deadly Ferret · 29 Dec 2006 at 21:29

Hedge said:
If thief is the film with the Diamond robber, played by james caan i think. then yeah i think Thief is a better film.

Its a brilliant film. Michael manns first direction i think, and it just wreaks of style and class.

That's the one, and I agree about the wreaking.

Deadly Ferret · 1 Jan 2007 at 02:55

HangTime said:
I disagree, LA Takedown is not a poor film when judged on merit. Maybe to people who watched Heat first it might seem that way, but it has quite a dark atmosphere and is still a good story. I think it's a good example of the difference a big budget can make when you compare the two films - HEAT took basically the same plot and was vastly more successful.

I agree. I saw L.A. Takedown first, and thought it was great. I think Heat was a bit better overall, but that the actor who played the main robber in the former actually did a better job of portraying the nuances of his specific character than did De Niro.