Val Kilmer's little known role in huge film had huge unexpected impact (2025)

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro's first time ever sharing screen space turned out to be a giant of a film, a god among American crime thrillers - and cinema fans have been dreaming of it for years

The first time Hollywood heavyweights Al Pacino and Robert De Niro shared the silver screen was in the 1995 crime-thriller Heat.

Penned and directed by Michael Mann, this American drama has since secured its spot in the annals of cinema as one of the finest heist films ever made. With a stellar supporting cast including Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Natalie Portman delivering some of their most memorable performances, Heat is a rare gem of a movie (though many have attempted to replicate it).

Indeed, Val Kilmer's adept gun handling in one of the film's sequences has been so lauded that it's reportedly been included in U.S. Marine training as an exemplary demonstration of quick reloading in combat.

The film has set the standard for crime-thrillers, with its impact and influence visible in countless movies since its release.

The film delves into the fierce rivalry between a Los Angeles Police Department detective Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (masterfully portrayed by Pacino) and a professional thief (played by De Niro in what could be considered one of his best performances), while also examining the deep-seated effects of their rivalry on their work and personal lives, reports the Mirror US.

Mann penned the original script for Heat back in 1979, drawing inspiration from the real-life chase of criminal Neil McCauley, after whom De Niro's character is named, by Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson.

Heat garnered approximately $187 million globally against its $60 million production costs, marking it as a significant box-office triumph. Both film critics and cinema-goers praised the Pacino-De Niro feature, branding it as an epoch-defining film of its era.

One critic said: "Heat is a giant of a film, a god among American crime thrillers... Masterpiece is an overused term. Here it barely comes close."

Another added: "Like Kubrick, Mann takes a genre premise that seems like no big deal, and expands it into a cosmos of its own."

One fan said: "Incredible. Great cinematography, tension, pace and faultless performances from three *greats* Pacino, DeNiro and Kilmer," while someone else admired the film's defining features, asserting: "I think it's incredible. Got the usual 90s heist action flair but with a bit more maturity, and impactful/well written characters."

Another added: "Choosing a favorite movie has always been difficult for me. I like different films for different reasons and choosing a single favorite seems to undermine what makes movies unique. However, Heat is what comes to mind when I'm asked to name my favorite movie."

A third said: "I'm not exaggerating in the least here when I say that I think it's one of, if not THE best films ever made. It is perfectly written, structured and acted with some of the best performances from that cast ever. Every character is well realized with a unique personality and perspective and the tension is exquisite.

"Mann is a master at knowing where and how to point the camera to make the scenes come alive (and he seems to exclusively work with cinematographers that can execute that vision) and the movie is visually stunning (thank you, Dante Spinotti), and even the sound work is stellar in it. Seriously, I've seen it maybe a dozen times and I'm never bored by it and can't find a single thing in it I don't like. To me, this movie is as close to perfect as it gets."

Reports in 2022 hinted at the tantalising possibility of a sequel to the iconic 1995 film.

Heat is streaming now on Amazon Prime and Disney+.