Michael Mann’s Crime Classic Finds a New Streaming Home in January

One could say that in the world of film, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro go together like peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, or whatever other perfect pairing you fancy. The duo’s on-screen relationship goes back five decades to 1974 when they first appeared alongside one another (kind of) in the second installment of Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic trilogy – The Godfather: Part II. While more than a handful of years would pass until the pair reunited for another crime drama, their day in the sun would eventually come via Michael Mann’s 1995 feature, Heat. They may have been on the same team in The Godfather: Part II, but the duo were anything but in the thriller that saw Pacino as a police officer and De Niro as his number one target. With a follow-up on the way, audiences may want to see where the thrilling story all began when Heat explodes onto Hulu in the new year.

In Heat, Pacino stars as Lieutenant Hanna, a police officer who is hot on the trail of his longtime criminal nemesis, Neil McCauley (De Niro). On top of having his hands full at work, Hanna is also struggling with his home life after he discovers that his wife (Diane Venora) has been carrying on an affair. Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, career criminal McCauley is focused on carrying out his last major heist before his planned retirement. There’s only one problem – he’s quickly losing control of his team. While caught in the intense back and forth of their dangerous cat-and-mouse game, both men find some common ground even while one hunts the other.

The True Story Behind ‘Heat’

As is the case with so many terrific storylines in films, Heat is based on a bit of reality; De Niro’s master thief, Neil McCauley, was a real person, while Pacino’s Lieutenant Hanna is modeled after Detective Chuck Adamson, the real man behind the investigation of McCauley. Along with its two leading men, the ensemble cast of Heat is filled with a lineup of impressive names that include Val Kilmer, Natalie Portman, Wes Studi, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore, Henry Rollins, Hank Azaria, Danny Trejo, and Amy Brenneman.

Not only is Heat a must-watch for crime drama fans and those who love Pacino, De Niro, and Mann, but now’s the time to catch the iconic feature as a sequel is on the way. While we don’t have a specific date set for the follow-up’s arrival, Mann recently revealed that it will be the next film that he pours his heart and soul into.

Head over to Hulu on January 1 to feel the burn with Heat.