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Rating: Literary sequel to the masterpiece that first brought Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to the screen (in "The Godfather Part II" they never met). "Heat 2" is connected to Michal Mann's best film, which he writes here alongside Meg Gardiner in his first book at almost 80 years old. One wonders why he didn't do it before, as he is known to most as a director but is also an excellent screenwriter. In fact, "Heat 2" resembles a long screenplay that delves into the original material, in which one can imagine the protagonists, their sensations, their actions, and the environments. It spans from 1988 to 2000. Mann is capable of excellently bringing those periods to life with a non-linear structure. A detailed writing style, like his way of directing behind the camera, his style is recognizable and goes hand in hand with his direction.
An absolutely indispensable novel for those like me who are literally obsessed with "Heat", because it explores the present, the past, and the future starting right from that 1995 when Vincent Hanna kills Neil McCauley at the airport and Chris Shiherlis goes on the run after trying to contact Charlene who has been taken into police custody. Chris, with Nate's help, manages to escape, crossing Mexico and then taking refuge in Paraguay, where he gradually climbs the ranks of the Taiwanese Liu crime family, as well as developing a romantic relationship with the boss's daughter. In the flashbacks of 1988, Hanna's exploits in Chicago are narrated as he tries to catch an elusive psychopathic criminal named Otis Wardell, who after various events comes into contact with Neil McCauley, also in Chicago for an important heist. Then, in 2000, in Los Angeles, the events converge with spectacular results.
"Heat 2" particularly expands on the characters of Vincent Hanna, Neil McCauley, and Chris Shiherlis, providing new perspectives on what happens in the original film. For example, Neil’s famous line, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner," takes on new meanings based on the events that happen in his past. The same goes for Hanna and Chris, where the former certainly has more shadowy areas, and the latter, after risking his life, almost experiences a rebirth, increasing his awareness and inner strength.
If I have to find flaws, they're likely in the choice of using things that I find hard to believe existed back in 2000, such as the Deep Web and others.
Regarding the announced film adaptation, despite trusting the great Mann, I have a few doubts:
- Mann is 80 years old. Will he be able to handle a big production like this?
- I love almost everything about Mann, but his latest works, in my opinion, have not been very successful, such as "Public Enemies" and "Blackhat".
- The book is quite lengthy (about 550 pages), making a film seems difficult. It would be at least three hours long, and several things would still need to be cut. Personally, I find a mini-series of about 6/8 episodes each an hour long more appropriate, even if the idea of bringing it to the big screen remains very appealing (I can't imagine what could come out of the final highway sequence).
- There are no official announcements, but one must understand which direction the difficult re-casting will take: there are talks about Al Pacino returning, which is practically impossible for him to reprise the role of Hanna, since if he was around 50/55 in the first film, five years later he would be at most 60. Now he's 84, you do the math... there are rumors about Austin Butler (the one from "Elvis") in the role of Chris, and I feel it could be an excellent choice (Val Kilmer, besides his age, has health problems). There's also been talk about Adam Driver (who is working with Mann on the film about Enzo Ferrari), a brilliant actor, but we need to see what role he will take, it's difficult to imagine him as Hanna (physically too different), more likely as a young Neil or the psychopath Otis Wardell.
We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I absolutely recommend this debut work by Michael Mann (and let's not forget the fundamental help from Meg Gardiner), it's almost amusing to think that such a giant writes his first and beautiful novel at nearly 80 years old.
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