Michael Mann: Heat Is Not “An Al Pacino Film”
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Michael Mann has traveled to South Korea for the first time to deliver a masterclass on his crime epic Heat at the Busan International Film Festival. The filmmaker emphasized that Heat should be regarded as an ensemble work rather than a film built around a single star.
When the moderator reminded him that he had once referred to Heat as “an Al Pacino film,” Mann quickly corrected the record: “I don’t think it’s an Al Pacino film. It’s a De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, and Mykelti Williamson film. It was a group of brilliant actors, and one of my best experiences as a director.”
Mann—also known for thrillers such as The Insider and Collateral—stressed that his initial drive was not surface-level style but credible storytelling: “The motivation behind Heat was a challenge, and that challenge was to tell a believable story about people whose lives are as complicated as ours.”
He defended the film’s two-hour-and-forty-five-minute runtime, noting that Warner Bros. executives had initially asked for cuts but eventually relented: “They said we’re not going to shorten it. But usually, we would have.”
Mann reiterated that Heat was designed for the big screen: “This film was made for theatrical projection. The scale, the artistry, all of it was built for a large canvas.” He added that only in this format can audiences truly perceive “the layers of the performances and the complexity of the characters.”
The filmmaker recalled the rigorous preparation for the iconic Los Angeles street shootout: “We used live ammunition in all the training sessions. Footage of Val Kilmer changing magazines was actually used to train Delta Force operators at Fort Bragg because he did it so quickly and so well.”
Mann said he rejected suggestions to alter the distinctive sound design in post-production: “We fired blanks and recorded the real sound during filming—and it was terrifying, because the sound echoed off the buildings.”
Explaining his commitment to authenticity, Mann added: “When I’m passionate about a project, I try to immerse myself in the environment where the events take place. I like to be around others and understand those who are really making the film.”
The director also confirmed that Heat 2 is slated to begin filming in 2026: “We’re aiming to shoot in 2026. We’re right in the middle of everything—financing, scheduling, casting.”
