Heat poster

Heat

1995170 minutesR
7.2
Arcplot Score
⭐ Excellent
Unverified
⭐ 8.3IMDb
🍅 84%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 76/100Metacritic
🎬 7.9TMDb
📊 10.7Popularity
🏆15 nominations total
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Directed by: Michael Mann
Hunters and their prey--Neil and his professional criminal crew hunt to score big money targets (banks, vaults, armored cars) and are, in turn, hunted by Lt. Vincent Hanna and his team of cops in the Robbery/Homicide police division. A botched job puts Hanna onto their trail while they regroup and try to put together one last big 'retirement' score. Neil and Vincent are similar in many ways, including their troubled personal lives. At a crucial moment in his life, Neil disobeys the dictum taught to him long ago by his criminal mentor--'Never have anything in your life that you can't walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner'--as he falls in love. Thus the stage is set for the suspenseful ending....

Box Office

Budget:$60.0M
Revenue:$187.4M
Profit:$127.4M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision4.7/10
Emotional Arc Impact10/10
Thematic Consistency7/10
Overall Score7.2/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Heat Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
12 min
3
Set-Up
25 min
4
Catalyst
40 min
5
Debate
60 min
6
Break Into Two
75 min
7
B Story
85 min
8
Fun and Games
95 min
9
Midpoint
110 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
130 min
11
All Is Lost
150 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
160 min
13
Break Into Three
165 min
14
Finale
168 min
15
Final Image
170 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

Los Angeles night. Neil McCauley and his crew in action, robbing armored trucks. Introduces professionalism, tension, and stakes of criminal life.

#2

Theme Stated

12 min

Lt. Vincent Hanna: "There is nothing you can do but try to survive in your own way." Theme of duality, obsession, and cost of dedication.

#3

Set-Up

25 min

Introduce Hanna, McCauley, and supporting characters. Contrast cop life vs. criminal life. Relationships, routines, stakes, Los Angeles as character. Tension building, careful preparation.

#4

Catalyst

40 min

McCauley and crew plan major bank heist. Hanna starts tracking crew. Forces collide. Catalyst: crime and law inevitably meeting.

#5

Debate

60 min

McCauley questions loyalty and limits. Hanna struggles with personal life. Who can win? Should McCauley risk the job? Can Hanna protect his life and relationships?

#6

Break Into Two

75 min

Heist executed. Stunning bank robbery. Crew escapes with tension and near misses. Crossed line: full commitment to crime.

#7

B Story

85 min

Neil and Eady relationship. Personal stakes. Humanity glimpsed amidst criminal world. Hanna and wife convulsing in personal struggles. Parallel human connections.

#8

Fun and Games

95 min

Montages of planning, surveillance, heist prep, police pursuit. Character skills and personalities shine. Cat-and-mouse. Thrilling sequences.

#9

Midpoint

110 min

Heist climax: bank robbery violent confrontation with police. Crew scattered. False victory: success but lives endangered. Stakes higher, consequences clear.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

130 min

Hanna closes in on McCauley. Crew members caught or killed. Tension escalates. Obsession vs. loyalty. Cat-and-mouse intensifies.

#11

All Is Lost

150 min

Final confrontation: McCauley isolated. Hanna tracking every move. Death and betrayal inevitable.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

160 min

McCauley reflects on choices, life, and isolation. Hanna contemplates obsession and sacrifice. Emotional toll peaks.

#13

Break Into Three

165 min

McCauley decides final escape attempt. Hanna pursues relentlessly. Clear resolution path emerging.

#14

Finale

168 min

Hanna catches McCauley in dramatic confrontation. McCauley killed. Law prevails. Consequences of obsession fully realized.

#15

Final Image

170 min

Los Angeles dawn. Hanna walking away. Lives changed. Crime vs. law, obsession vs. morality. Duality of life emphasized. Peace and loss coexisting.