Michael Mann has urged that his classic crime thriller Heat should be seen as an ensemble film rather than just an Al Pacino movie.
The 82-year-old American film director and screenwriter attended the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, where he conducted a masterclass on his 1995 epic film Heat.
During the event, the moderator reminded Mann of an old interview in which he supposedly remarked on the film as “an Al Pacino film.”
Addressing the misconceptions, he responded, “I don’t think it’s Al Pacino’s film. That film’s De Niro’s film, Val Kilmer’s film, Jon Voight’s film, Mykelti Williamson,” emphasizing, “It was an ensemble of brilliant actors and one of the best experiences ever as a director.”
The Manhunter director went on to note that authentic storytelling was the key incentive for the film.
Mann quipped, “The motivation for ‘Heat’ was a challenge, and the challenge was to tell authentic stories about people who have been as complex as we all are in life.”
In addition, he shed light on the film’s runtime and unveiled that Warner Bros. executives Bob Daly and Terry Semel wanted to request cuts at first but ended up changing their minds after watching the final product.
The director of The Insider recalled, “They said it’s two hours and 45 minutes. We’re not cutting. We normally would cut this film.”
Heat “is made for the big screen, the scale, the artistic construction, all for the big screen,”Mann stated.