Rating: 4.5/5
Two fifty-something men who should’ve given up the game ages ago become entangled in each other’s lives, forcing everyone they care about out of the way, risking it all for that last score because neither knows how to stop
De Niro falls closer in line with Mann’s outsider — much of his demeanor reminds me of Vincent in Collateral, someone whose mantra is “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you’re not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” This mentality doesn’t stop him from trying when Amy Brenneman comes into his life, but when scores he needs to settle scores, he can’t just let himself walk away
Pacino is still a Mann character — closer in spirit to Will Graham in Manhunter than Frank in Thief — whose on the tail end of his third marriage because the work will always come first. It’s an easy lie for him to swallow that he keeps his work separate from home because of its gristly nature, but his wife — Diane Venora — isn’t able to live off scraps alone
Their worlds are full of miserable people who are trying to figure out how to live — anyone who stands too close to them gets bigger targets on their backs, and many of them end up dead
Mann forces the audience to live with the consequences of these characters’ choices, removing any veneer of cool, heroism, or happily ever after. More importantly, he is at his best when his main characters have to confront their reality and the wake of their destructive ways
That doesn’t mean you don’t get the stellar action set pieces — the shootouts, the car chases, the running through hotels and airports — all shot with tense close-ups, beautiful bokeh, and crunching guitars
It’s the combination of all these things that justify its nearly 3-hour runtime. An all-timer action flick that transcends the genre and teaches copycats all the wrong lessons