For Nick James, the pleasures and virtues of this film are mixed and complex. Its precise compositions and minimalist style are entangled with a particular kind of extravagant bombast. The complexities add to the interest of this ambitious film.
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About the Author
Nick James has written for The Guardian, The Observer and The London Review of Books and was for a time TV Editor at London's City Limits magazine. He has edited Sight and Sound since 1997
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good analysis of a great film,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Heat (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)
Nick James certainly appreciates Michael Mann's body of work, as do a great many of us. His analysis of "Heat" as an ode to the 80's (in part, though made and set in the 1990's), as both celebration and criticism of machismo, and as testimonial of how Mann can be called a "method director" not unlike De Niro's habit of being a "method actor" (pardon the overused and often misplaced term), is as much tribute to Mann as it is a tribute to the art of storytelling on the often expansive canvas of film.
Of the half-dozen or so BFI series books I've read so far, this one ranks near the top of my enjoyment list. James' writing is scholarly without being pretentious [at least one BFI series book I have read cannot make the same claim]. Though perhaps not as enlightening as the BFI book on "Titanic" or as profound as a passage or two in the BFI book on "Jaws" (though that book does have some flaws, hate to say), it is more than compelling enough to keep me hooked on the series. I will make a point to purchase and read the BFI books on "Crash", "The Right Stuff", "The Thin Red Line" (FOR GOD'S SAKE, EVERYBODY SEE THAT MOVIE!!), and "The Shawshank Redemption". I have the BFI book on "The Thing" in the on-deck circle and will start it tomorrow.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
one of the finest BFI Modern Classics book series!,
By Cubist (United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heat (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)
For such a highly regarded filmmaker, so little has been written about Michael Mann's films in book form. This is a solid look at one of his most popular films. Not so much an anecdotal account (unfortunately), rather a more analytically approach to HEAT. James makes some very insightful observations on the movie and how it fits into Mann's overall body of work. For example, he points out how James Caan's character in THIEF truly embodies HEAT's famous philosophy (do not have anything you can't walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you see the heat coming...) much more successfully that De Niro's character.While I would have enjoyed more behind-the-scenes stories and information, this is a well-written book that always has something interesting to say. James is clearly a fan of the film and of Mann's but isn't afraid of being critical -- this isn't a fan boy's love letter. His book is definitely required reading for any fan of HEAT or Mann's movies in general. BFI's Modern Classics series comes through again.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Solid BFI Offering,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Heat (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)
A "Modern Classic" indeed, Heat definitely deserves a whole book, and Nick James does a good job of chugging through its nearly three hours of plot while still being insightful.
I would have loved some more shot-by-shot breakdowns of scenes because of Mann's craftmanship with the lens, but James is more concerned with the angst of the single-minded male protagonists. James also continues an odd trend I have noticed in modern film books of quoting movie dialogue incorrectly. By the way, Heat looks awesome on Blu-ray! Heat [Blu-ray]
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