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The good and the bad. The cop and the thief. Justice and crime.
Topics (and clashes) that are certainly not new, but terribly effective. When interpreted by two genuine legends, the pleasure is elevated to the cube.
The cop, Vincent Hannah (Al Pacino, is there any need to say more?), is a tough one: educated, a resume to envy, an ex-military man, several failed marriages due to his obsession with work. The thief, Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), is a cunning and rather aged criminal, waiting for the last heist, the one of a lifetime. Their lives intertwine with several characters: Vince's wife and stepdaughter (the latter being a practically baby-faced Natalie Portman), Neil's crew (featuring Val Kilmer at his finest), and the thief's woman (the stunning Amy Brenneman - N.Y.P.D. Blue, Judging Amy -).
All these characters and their stories revolve around the duel that unfolds between the two protagonists, even leading them to meet in a restaurant (the Kate Mantilini on Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, a real place) over a cup of coffee to discuss their (eventually sad) lives.
Vince confesses his worry over yet another marriage on the verge of collapse, Neil points out that he can't afford a decent romantic life ("don't get involved in anything you can't walk out on in thirty seconds flat"): they will conclude, however, that both of them will continue doing what they do best, the thief and the cop.
A spine-chilling cast: besides those already mentioned, standouts include John Voight (Angelina Jolie's dad), Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, William Fitchner, and Tom Noonan.
Michael Mann directs the whole with a dry and sharp touch, managing the superstar "duopoly" excellently and seamlessly fitting the various "satellite" characters into the protagonists' lives, while adding shootouts rarely this spectacular (the monstrous final one, after the bank robbery). Judd also performs brilliantly in the role of the "gangster's moll with kid in tow".
Attempting a comparison, Pacino slightly outdoes De Niro, mainly due to his perfect portrayal of the neurotic cop (memorable his meltdown directed at his wife's lover: "I can accept that you're screwing my wife, if it pleases her, but I can't accept you sitting sprawled on my couch watching my goddamn television!"), but both of them maintain the duelists' flag high.
A great action film, above all, but also one of the most beautiful and interesting duels ever seen in cinema. A beautiful movie.
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