[Indi]

Rules:
No polls, just a review and your opinion on why you believe the film you've chosen should stay higher up in the list. 50 words or more, 40 is accepted if you have expressed your opinion in a satisfactory standard.

Have fun!

[Spaghetti Cat]

Hmm, this is a hard one.

Heat, obviously has a lot of fans. Even one of the missions in IV was based on the bank heist scene. Heat was also billed as bringing together two well known actors. Robert DeNero and Al Pachino, even though they were only onscreen together for a short time. It would have been neat if they were on the same crew, but w/e. Lots of good supporting actors, and some good action scenes. I still think the armored car scene is pretty cool, even if it was overshadowed by the bank heist later on. My only problem is that those great action scenes are broken up by a lot of chitty-chat. I think the movie was too long, probably a good 30-45 minutes. First time I watched it I kept looking at my watch, felt like forever.

Training Day also brings together two terrific actors: Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. Denzel won an oscar for his out-of-character performance as a crooked cop. Hawke plays the new recruit out on his first day with a new partner, only to come find out of those misdeeds throughout the film. While I thought the final act seemed to drag a bit, it's an otherwise fast-paced film.

Both of these films have the backdrop of Los Angles, though I felt Training Day felt more LA-ish. I liked some of the more gritty locations that they shot at. Heat seemed to be a little more sanitized compared to Training Day.

My vote: Training Day

[ryuclan]

Heat is a film with a cult-like following, and I love it, but this one's going to have to go to Training Day. Here's why.

In my opinion Training Day embody the most seedy part of LA law enforcement and made it feel real. So real you almost feel dirty just watching it. I've always thought Denzel could be an amazing antagonist and he displays that here with his schizophrenic behavior and his use of ultimatums. These things not only bring Ethan to do things that conflict with his own morals, but they make him question the entire LA law enforcement system as well.

There are practically no car chase scenes in Training Day, which is a bit disappointing and refreshing as well. These officers are not just shown as beat cops who happen to get into some sh*t. The situations displayed here are caused, in whole, by Denzel's character through his deception, thievery, manipulation and complete disregard for the law he was sworn to upheld. Add in a pay out for Ethan's character doing actual cop work and this film comes out as a gritty cop tale where the bad guy dies and the good guy isn't to blame. \

My Vote: Training Day

[Indi]

Bump. Last chance to vote.

[El_Diablo]

I think Training Day might be the better film technically, but it was also chock full of cliche.
the vote goes to Heat for delivering on such a difficult promise: to put Pacino next to DeNiro and not f*ck it up.

thanks in large part to Michael Mann the dialogue and pacing in Heat manages to allow both of these powerhouse, top-bill performers to breathe and flex without stepping all over each other or relying on poor cliche's. it's not easy to mash up two actors of Pacino and DeNiro's caliber while actually maintaining a powerful narrative. they even threw Val Kilmer into the mix and the movie was still great

hats off to Heat.

[StoneHead37]

Both very, very good films here.

Let's start off with Training Day. To begin, Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington were brilliant leads in this film. Without them, I don't know if the movie could be as good as it is now. The soundtrack, though rap is not my style, accompanied each scene perfectly, making this much more enjoyable. Antoine Fuqua, who directed later films such as Tears of the Sun and King Arthur, struck genius here again. I'm trying to keep my reviews concise, so I'll be brief. Training Day, though well-executed from most aspects is tremendously cliched, but I do say that this take on the whole genre is better than most I can think of... by far.

Heat. What a great f*cking movie. Two of my favorite stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in one movie made my heart throb with happiness. Val Kilmer is another great actor; his role as Jim Morrison in The Doors and as Batman in Batman Forever always come to mind when I heard his name. This film is the gem of all 'criminal pursuit' films. Though the idea is a bit cliched, the spin with Heat is so unique that it doesn't even matter if it has been done before. The director, Michael Mann, is a certified genius in media arts, in my opinion. He had done a phenomenal job with Heat, in addition to Thief, The Last of the Mohicans and Ali, to name a few.

This is an extremely difficult call here that took some thinking, but with all respect...

+1 for Heat

[Indi]

Next vote wins.

[Indi]

Bump.

[AceRay]

I'm gonna vote for Heat. Its such a kinetic, vibrant, dynamic, agonising, stirring, brash, violent flick, I had it in my mind for hours. It was simply a delight to watch Pacino and De Nero battle it out on the big screen, their characters had a beautiful dynamic relationship. One of the best supporting casts I've seen in a long time. Definitely give this a watch.

[Indi]

Voting stopped.

Heat wins.