Heat (1995) Online

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Al Pacino	-	Lt. Vincent Hanna
	Robert De Niro	-	Neil McCauley
	Val Kilmer	-	Chris Shiherlis
	Jon Voight	-	Nate
	Tom Sizemore	-	Michael Cheritto
	Diane Venora	-	Justine
	Amy Brenneman	-	Eady
	Ashley Judd	-	Charlene Shiherlis
	Mykelti Williamson	-	Sergeant Drucker
	Wes Studi	-	Casals
	Ted Levine	-	Bosko
	Dennis Haysbert	-	Donald Breedan
	William Fichtner	-	Roger Van Zant
	Natalie Portman	-	Lauren Gustafson
	Tom Noonan	-	Kelso

Rather than dubbing in the gunshots during the bank robbery shoot-out, Michael Mann had microphones carefully placed around the set so that the audio could be captured live. This added to the impact of the scene, because it sounded like no other gunfight shown on-screen.

In an interview with Al Pacino on the DVD Special Edition, Pacino revealed that for the scene in the restaurant between Hanna and McCauley, Robert De Niro felt that the scene should not be rehearsed so that the unfamiliarity between the two characters would seem more genuine. Michael Mann agreed, and shot the scene with no practice rehearsals.

In June of 2002, the scene involving the shoot-out after the bank robbery was shown to United States Marine recruits at MCRD San Diego as an example of the proper way to retreat while under fire.

In the director's commentary, Michael Mann noted that Al Pacino ad-libbed the line "Because she's got a GREAT ASS!" and Hank Azaria's look of exasperated shock was totally genuine.

When Kevin Gage was imprisoned for two years in 2003, he was universally addressed by fellow inmates and prison guards as "Waingro", his character from this movie.

Filmed in sixty-five locations around Los Angeles, without a single soundstage.

In an early draft of the script, Vincent Hanna had a cocaine habit, which, according to Al Pacino, explains his bombastic outbursts.

The first film to feature Robert De Niro and Al Pacino acting together, which created much hype prior to release. They both starred in Krikštatevis II (1974), but never shared the screen together as the split chronology prevented this. When this movie was finally released, even its advertising material promoted the film as a De Niro and Pacino "showdown".

Waingro (Kevin Gage) is based on a real Chicago criminal named "Waingro", who ratted out some influential Chicago criminals. According to Michael Mann, Waingro went missing. His body was found in northern Mexico, where it had been nailed to the wall of a shed.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were Michael Mann's first choices for Hanna and McCauley.

Amy Brenneman disliked the script and didn't want to be in the movie, saying it was too filled with blood with no morality. Michael Mann told her that with that mind set, she would be perfect for the role of Eady.

For the restaurant sequence where McCauley and Hanna finally meet, Michael Mann ran two cameras simultaneously in order to generate a greater level of fluidity between both rivals. Since there were no rehearsals for the scene, this approach afforded both men a more generous margin for improvisational experimentation.

The coffee shop scene sold Robert De Niro on the idea of making the film. He, Al Pacino, and Michael Mann later admitted that they couldn't wait to shoot that one scene.

This is one of Christopher Nolan's favorite films. The film inspired his vision of Gotham City in The Dark Knight trilogy.

Ted Levine was originally offered the part of Waingro, but turned it down because he felt that he was being typecast. He asked to play the part of Bosko instead.

Danny Trejo, who plays a member of the crew, has been an inmate at Folsom Prison in real life, just like Neil in the movie.

The meeting between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino over coffee was shot at Kate Mantilini on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The Los Angeles mainstay was a noted top spot for a stylish late supper. The restaurant had "heat" spelled in neon above the door and a large poster of the actors in the now famous scene. Diners could request the very table featured in the scene, table #71, which wait staff were familiar with as "The Table", and were happy to seat De Niro and Pacino fans at their famous meeting place. The restaurant closed in late 2014.

Val Kilmer was thrilled to learn that the moment in the gunbattle scene where he runs out of bullets, and rapidly changes his magazine, is regularly shown to Marine recruits as an example of how to perform the action properly.

Michael Mann made the movie as tribute to a detective friend of his in Chicago, who obsessively tracked and killed a thief (named Neil McCauley) he had once met under non-violent circumstances.

Jon Voight initially turned down the part of Nate, telling Michael Mann that there were several actors who could perform the part better. Mann told Voight that he wanted him for the role, since he'd always wanted to work with him.

The two main characters used to be in the Marine Corps. Detective Hanna (Al Pacino) is talked about during the briefing for McCauley's (Robert De Niro's) final robbery. McCauley is clearly seen with an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor tat on his arm, when getting up from bed with Eady (Amy Brenneman).

Michael Mann visited inmates in Folsom prison to gain some insight into prison life, to aid his depiction of Neil (Robert De Niro). Mann later commented that Neil's collars were always perfectly starched, as they would have been in prison.

Keanu Reeves was originally signed to play Chris Shiherlis, and Carsten Norgaard was also one of Michael Mann's options, but they both lost the part when Val Kilmer was able squeeze it into his schedule while making Betmenas amžiams (1995).

When Michael Mann filmed the restaurant scene at Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills, he used the restaurant's actual employees as extras. Upon the last day of filming, he awarded them all with a SAG card.

Michael Madsen was originally cast as Michael Cheritto, but was ultimately replaced (for unknown reasons) by Tom Sizemore.

In the director's commentary, Michael Mann said that Neil's trademark gray suits were designed to help him blend into a crowd and not draw attention to himself.

Nate (Jon Voight) is based on real-life former career criminal Edward Bunker. Bunker had previously starred in another famous heist film, Reservoir Dogs (1992).

In a promotional interview for The Keep (1983), Michael Mann stated that he wanted to see "Heat" brought to the screen (it was already written), but had no interest in directing it.

The scene of McCauley standing against a window and watching the ocean was inspired by the painting "Pacific" by Alex Colville.

Waingro tells the bartender he spent time at Folsom State Prison and then at the "SHU" (Special Handling Unit) at Pelican Bay. Pelican Bay State Prison is where California houses the most dangerous of its most dangerous prisoners, and the S.H.U. is solitary confinement.

The cast was given weapons and tactics training by former British Special Air Service members Andy McNab and Mick Gould. Gould has a cameo as one of the cops who breaks into Henry Rollins' flat.

Kris Kristofferson, in what would have been a nod to Vagis (1981) and Willie Nelson's character in that movie, was suggested for the role of Nate, played by Jon Voight.

Dennis Farina, a former Chicago police officer, was a consultant on the film since the story was based on a Chicago police officer and criminal. Farina had previously played a Chicago cop in Michael Mann's television series Crime Story (1986).

Many viewers claim that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino never (or hardly ever) actually share screentime during the film, despite the hype surrounding the film's release, as showcasing their first screen appearance. In most pan-and-scan versions of the film, and television broadcasts, it does appear that during the "diner scene" the two never actually share the screen, but viewing the film in correct letterbox format, as Michael Mann intended, clearly shows the two actors sitting at the table, though only in wide shots.

Val Kilmer filmed some of his sequences concurrently with Betmenas amžiams (1995).

Bosko, at the party, tells a story of a grade school friend of his named Raoul. Michael Mann said that the story was completely ad-libbed by Ted Levine, and that he had no idea how Levine came up with it.

Mykelti Williamson, in the Special Edition DVD of the movie, said in an interview that Michael Mann arranged for cast members to meet with real-life LAPD detectives and professional criminals at an exclusive restaurant (the name of which Williamson refused to disclose) where LAPD detectives and criminals socialized. Cast members playing the detectives had dinner with the LAPD detectives and their wives one night, while the cast members playing the thieves had dinner with the real-life criminals and their wives on a separate night. Williamson said that Mann arranged these events so the actors and actresses would have a better idea of how real detectives and criminals socialized and interacted with each other.

Don Johnson was briefly considered for the part of Michael Cheritto. He was also discussed as a possible back-up for both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, if one of them turned down their parts.

In a Japanese television interview in 1995, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino got asked "which role-play, police or robber, did you do when a boyhood?" De Niro replied, "Police", Pacino did "Police doing robbery".

In order to prepare the actors for the roles of McCauley's crew, Michael Mann took Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, and Robert De Niro to Folsom State Prison to interview actual career criminals.

The explicit nature of several of the film's scenes was cited as the model of a spate of robberies since its release. This included armored car robberies in South Africa, Colombia, Denmark, Norway, and most famously, the 1997 North Hollywood shoot-out, in which Larry Phillips, Jr. and Emil Matasareanu robbed the North Hollywood branch of the Bank of America and, similarly to the film, were confronted by the LAPD as they left the bank. This shoot-out is considered one of the longest and bloodiest events of its type in American police history. Both robbers were killed, and eleven police officers and seven bystanders were injured during the shoot-out. This movie was widely referenced during the coverage of the shoot-out.

While researching her role, Ashley Judd met several former prostitutes who became housewives.

Diane Venora was bemused that she got the part of Al Pacino's wife, seeing as the screenplay described her character as a "languorous redhead with thighs for days".

The now-legendary café scene between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino was one of only three scenes that the actors shared together. What we see on screen is take number eleven.

Robert De Niro was the first cast member to get the film script, showing it to Al Pacino, who also wanted to be a part of the film.

Keanu Reeves turned down the role of Chris to tread the boards in Winnipeg playing Hamlet for the minimum theatrical wage.

Before Danny Trejo was hired to play the role of "Trejo" in this movie, he and Edward Bunker, a writer, were hired to be armed robbery consultants, since they both did time for these crimes, and knew the ins-and-outs of performing such crimes. When Michael Mann spotted Danny, Mann introduced him to Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, and Jon Voight, where they discussed the cops-and-robbers shtick. After the meeting, Trejo would earn this role.

The "f" word is used fifty-two times, mostly by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) only smiles five times in the entire movie. Once, when he sees Donald Breedan (Dennis Haysbert) in the diner's kitchen while working as a short order cook; once when he first meets Eady in the restaurant, at dinner with his "crew" and their respective ladies; once when he snaps pictures of Hanna; once (briefly) as he is driving in the car with Eady on their way to the airport. And one last time when he walks from the hotel towards the car with Eady waiting in it.

Xander Berkeley plays Ralph, a minor character. He also played Waingro in L.A. Takedown (1989), of which this film is a remake. Michael Mann directed both movies.

The drive-in sequence was shot at the Centinela Drive-in in Inglewood, California, which had been closed since 1993. The theater was demolished in 1998, and the site is now occupied by an apartment complex.

Vincent's sidearm is a Colt Officer's Model .45 caliber with ivory grips, a likely reference to his service in the Marine Corps. Neil carries an HK USP 9mm early on in the movie, and then switches to a SIG Sauer P220 .45 caliber later on.

During a February 2016 discussion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, Michael Mann revealed the locations of the real-life inspiration for the famous "coffee scene" between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Chicago detective Chuck Adamson ran into the real-life Neil McCauley while picking up dry cleaning on Lincoln Avenue and Belden Avenue in Chicago. The two went to the now-closed Belden Deli at 2301 N. Clark Street in Chicago, a few blocks away. The diner was knocked down, and reconstructed in the 1990s, and is now the location of the Eleven City Diner.

Al Pacino revealed in Argentina when he performed An Evening With Al Pacino at the Teatro Colón, that when they had to rehearse the last scene, Robert De Niro told him: "No words". He still thinks that that was the right call.

Al Pacino had a full facelift before filming began.

Principal photography lasted 107 days. All of the shooting was done on location, Michael Mann deciding not to use a soundstage.

The scene involving the shoot-out after the bank robbery was particularly tricky to film, since they were only allowed to film on the weekends.

The manager of the Kate Mantilini restaurant in Beverly Hills said in the Heat Special Edition DVD that even though the restaurant doesn't technically take reservations, people often call to try to reserve the table that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino sat at in the movie.

Composer Elliot Goldenthal wrote a piece of score to play over the final scene. Michael Mann replaced it with Moby's "God Moving Over the Face of the Water", so Goldenthal re-used the piece as the end titles for Maiklas Kolinsas (1996) the following year, replacing the electric guitar with a fiddle to give it a more Irish sound. The original cue, called "Hand In Hand," can be heard at Goldenthal's website.

The gun battle scene used up 800 to 1,000 rounds per take.

Johnny Depp was considered for the role of Chris Shiherlis, but his asking price was deemed too high.

In the original script, Eady was Chinese.

Lieutenant Hanna is shown "checking the chamber" on his handgun in at least one scene. This is a trademark of the character Nick Stone in a series of novels by Andy McNab, who was technical weapons training adviser on Karštis (1995). Although not an uncommon thing to do with a handgun, it is rarely given such visual prominence in films. Also, the crew's tactics in the bank robbery shootout are notably similar to the "response to enemy fire" tactics featured in the book and film of McNab's Bravo Two Zero (1999).

Hank Azaria was also working on Narvelis (1996) while he filmed his scene in this film. The scene was filmed on his thirtieth birthday. It was Al Pacino's fifty-fourth birthday as well.

Michael Mann has wanted to work with Robert De Niro ever since he first saw him in Bjaurios gatves (1973).

During the famous bank robbery gunfight, Mann directed the actors portraying the police to aim deliberately and only fire their rifles in the semi-automatic mode. This showed that the police were taking care not to hit bystanders. By contrast the robbers - concerned only with their own safety - fire their weapons on full automatic, striking several bystanders in the process.

The film cast includes four Oscar winners: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jon Voight, and Natalie Portman.

The actors who took part in the robbery sequence had to undergo power weapons training.

Although this is the second film on which Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have shared top billing, in Krikštatevis II (1974), they didn't have a scene together. In this movie, they only have two scenes together, for a total of less than ten minutes.

Li Gong was offered the role of Justine Hanna. She refused, unless the script was translated into Mandarin.

In 2016, in an interview with Christopher Nolan, Al Pacino revealed that Vincent Hanna is a cocaine user. It is never shown on-screen however.

The armored car robbery in earlier scripts is a bit different. Its street location is much different, and the escape is a lot tighter, as the crew actually rams several police cars while they're escaping after shooting the three guards.

The date of birth given for Vincent Hanna's applications, reviewed by Neil and Nate, is 7/15/1953. Al Pacino was born in 1940. In the same application, the profession is listed as Salesperson. Neil identifies his profession to Eady as Salesman.

In the original VHS release of the film, which was split between two videocassettes, the break occurred right after the diner scene in the film.

According to Danny Trejo, Val Kilmer (who was still filming Betmenas amžiams (1995) at the time) told him on set that he had just refused an offer of $40 million to reprise his Batman role in another film, because he did not want to waste his talent wearing a mask. Trejo was very amused by this, because Kilmer's role in Heat also required him to wear a mask during the robbery scenes.

A video game adaptation was reported to be in development around 2009, but never came to fruition.

In 2007, the scene involving the shoot-out after the bank robbery was shown to British Army Officer Cadets at RMA Sandhurst as an example of effective fire and manoeuvre, and the proper way to retreat while under fire.

Natalie Portman's second film.

A Marine Corps plaque appears briefly in Vincent's office in the Major Crimes Unit, although the traditional crossed swords are removed.

This movie featured two actors who each played serial killers in movies based on Thomas Harris novels. Žmoniu medžiotojas (1986), based on Harris' novel Red Dragon, featured Tom Noonan as the serial killer Francis "The Tooth Fairy" Dolarhyde. Avineliu tylejimas (1991), based on the Harris novel of the same name, featured Ted Levine as the serial killer Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb. Coincidentially, Michael Mann is also the director of Manhunter, and Dennis Farina, who consulted this movie, played Jack Crawford in Manhunter.

The rifle used by Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) in the deserted drive-in movie shoot-out is a Heckler & Koch 91 in 7.62mm (.308 Winchester).

This is Tom Hiddleston's favorite film.

In the original script, the gunman at the drive-in was still alive after being shot at and run over. Neil executes the shooter a few moments after approaching and talking to him. In the final film, the shooter appears to be dead, since this scene is absent.

Madeleine Stowe turned down the role of Justine Hanna.

In the fire fight scene after the bank robbery, Chris crouches at the rear of a car in order to change a magazine. The registration plate of this car reads "2LUP382". "LUP", in British Army terminology, is "Lying Up Position". 2LUP would reflect that this was the second Lying Up Position for Chris, his first being behind a green car.

When Sergeant Drucker (Mykelti Williamson) says to Charlene (Ashley Judd) her son could end up at "gladiator academies", like Chino and Tracy, his referring to Deuel Vocational Institution state prison in Tracy, California. The California Institution for Men is commonly known as "Chino", and is a state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California. "Gladiator academies", is slang for prisons or correction facilities.

The train station shown in the beginning of the film is the same station featured at the end of Collateral (2004).

William Fichtner (Roger Van Zant) appeared in the bank robbery sequence that opened Tamsos riteris (2008). It was directed by Christopher Nolan, who has named this movie as an influence on his vision of Gotham City.

The rifle used by Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) in the bank hold-up shoot-out is a Fabrique Nationale FNC in 5.56mm (.223 Remington).

To prepare for his role, Robert De Niro met with real-life thieves and cops.

Nick Nolte and Jeff Bridges were discussed as a possible alternative for the two leading roles.

When Nate tells Neil about his new "out", he describes it as an airplane bearing the registration number N1011S. According to the FAA registry database, the registration was taken in 2000, five years after the movie was released, and is now a 1964 Cessna 310, a two-engine light propeller-driven airplane.

James Caan has been rumored to have been considered for the role of Nate. Caan lamented to Michael Mann that he did not get to star in Heat on their 1998 DVD commentary for Vagis (1981).

Vincent Hanna's Armani suits and slicked-back hair are an homage to Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley. Riley's style was also copied by Michael Douglas in Volstrytas (1987) and by Kurt Russell in Atsuktuvas su tekila (1988).

The camera used by both Neil and Casals in the "We just got made" scene is a Nikon F4, at the time Nikon's flagship 35mm SLR. Casal's has the Nikon logo blacked out. Neil's does not. They use different lenses.

Drucker's name was Arriaga in the original film, L.A. Takedown (1989), though he was not a sergeant.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was briefly considered for the role of Michael Cheritto.

In April 1994, Michael Mann was reported to have abandoned his earlier plan to shoot a biopic of James Dean, in favor of directing.

Initially, Michael Mann shopped the script to Walter Hill to direct, but Hill turned him down.

Deleted scenes found on the Special Edition DVD give more character development to Michael Cheritto, showing him to be a well-adjusted family man.

Jean Reno was considered for the role of Chris Shiherlis.

Jon Voight's first film to get a wide theatrical release since Runaway Train (1985). Desert Bloom (1986) had been given a limited release, and his other projects in the interim were made for television or went direct to video. The film began a resurgence of high-profile roles for the Oscar winner, culminating in his fourth Oscar nomination for Ali (2001), also directed by Michael Mann.

Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford were considered for the lead roles of Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley.

In the original script, the burglary-cop Harry Dieter was questioned and threatened by Vincent Hanna because he was given a tip by C.I. Hugh Benny. After Hanna and Bosko leave, Dieter is left with a booking officer. This would have taking place just before Hanna and Bosko (now Hanna and Casals) breaching Hugh Benny's flat. But this scene is absent in the final movie.

In the diner, McCauley asks Hanna "a normal life, what's that, barbecues and ballgames?" During the shoot-out after the bank robbery, McCauley can be seen shooting a barbecue grill.

Ted Levine ad-libbed the story Bosco tells about a classmate of his named Raoul.

Brad Pitt was considered for the role of Chris Shilerhis.

Robert De Niro and Dennis Farina also appeared in Midnight Run (1988).

Released a month after Kazino (1995), also starring Robert De Niro. Surprisingly, both movies are almost three hours long, and take place in different states, making it interesting that Robert De Niro would have time to make both movies released so closely.

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

In the UK, the film was given a "15" rating for both its cinema and video release, and passed uncut in both instances. It was re-released in 2000 with a new "Underground Epics" video cover, bearing an "18" certificate. However, this was not a different version of the film, the content was the same as the "15" version. The "18" certificate was a mistake, and the video cover was withdrawn.

Trejo's name was originally Towner.

In the original script, Casals was the detective wounded during the shoot-out sequence.

Justine was called Lillian in the original film: L.A. Takedown (1989).

In this movie and Melas vardan tiesos (1994), Max Daniels plays a thug wielding a Steyr TMP who is shot, and wildly fires his gun into the air as he goes down. Here, it happens before Shiherlis shoots him in the back, as he is unable to get steady footing.

William Petersen turned down the role of Michael Cheritto.

The film features the track "Armenia" from German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten, which was used again by Michael Mann in his next film, Informatorius (1999).

For the sequence where Neil (Robert De Niro) and Eady (Amy Brenneman) discuss a possible future together on a terrace at night, Michael Mann and his DP Dante Spinotti wanted to capture the background 'nightscape' with some degree of prominence in the shot. The actors were first filmed in front of a small green screen, and the background was then filmed separately with the camera running at 3fps in order to boost the exposure level to better complement the foreground activity.

The armored car robbery originally had a different street location, and the escape is a lot tighter, as the crew actually rams several police cars escaping after shooting the three guards.

Michael Mann previously directed Žmoniu medžiotojas (1986), the first film adaptation of the "Hannibal Lecktor/Lecter" series. Ted Levine (Bosko) played Buffalo Bill in Avineliu tylejimas (1991).

Tom Sizemore and William Fichtner appeared and voiced characters in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002). The game is also a reference to Scarface (1983).

First film that has Al Pacino and Robert De Niro acting together in the same scenes.

Mykelti Williamson, Martin Ferrero, and Xander Berkeley appeared on Miami Vice (1984), executively produced by Michael Mann, and Ted Levine appeared on the Mann-created Crime Story (1986). This was the first time all of these actors had been directed by Mann in a feature film.

In Šuniška popiete (1975), another heist movie that stars Al Pacino, the final scene also took place in an airport.

During the scene when Detective Danny Schwartz is talking with Lieutenant Vincent Hanna over the phone, a man speaking with a detective can be seen on a television screen behind Schwartz.

Hank Azaria and Wes Studi would appeared as "The Blue Raja", and "The Sphinx", respectively, in Paslaptingi vyrukai (1999).

Ricky Harris and Tone Loc appeared in Poetic Justice (1993).

In L.A. Takedown (1989), Val Kilmer's role was played by Peter Dobson. Dobson had played Elvis Presley in Forestas Gampas (1994), a role played by Kilmer in Tikra romantika (1993). Mykelti Williamson also appeared in Forestas Gampas (1994).

Michael Mann and Tom Noonan previously worked together on Žmoniu medžiotojas (1986), while Al Pacino and Robert De Niro appeared together in Krikštatevis II (1974). The latter film featured Gianni Russo. Russo later appeared in Raudonasis drakonas (2002), the second adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon.

Al Pacino won his Oscar for starring in Moters kvapas (1992). In the climactic scene, he works opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, who also appeared in Raudonasis drakonas (2002), the second adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon. Michael Mann directed the first adaptation Žmoniu medžiotojas (1986).

Al Pacino and Val Kilmer starred in films with Chris O'Donnell: Pacino in Moters kvapas (1992), and Kilmer in Betmenas amžiams (1995). Coincidentally, Pacino portrays a blind man in Moters kvapas (1992) and Kilmer plays a similar role in Iš pirmo žvilgsnio (1999).

Jon Voight and Val Kilmer both starred in blockbuster films with Tom Cruise (Val Kilmer in Top Gun and Jon Voight in Mission: Impossible)

Jon Voight and Tom Sizemore later played together in Enemy of the State (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001).

U2 isn't mentioned during the song credits, but a 30 second instrumental music track of their making can be heard, when Al Pacino is driving towards the nightclub to meet the snitch.

A poster of Miles Davis is featured in the background during a scene with Al Pacino. A live performance of a song from a Miles Davis record called "Bitches Brew" was featured in another film by director Michael Mann, called Collateral, in which a recollection of an encounter with Miles Davis is written into the dialogue.

Tom Elfmont: The concierge at the airport hotel is played by a former L.A.P.D. detective, who served as one of the film's technical advisers.

Michael Mann: [military training] Neil's crew shows evidence of military training when attempting their heists.

Michael Mann: He disowned the television version aired by NBC. Mann offered to restore seventeen of the cut minutes, NBC decided to instead cut forty minutes of the film out, in order to fit a three-hour television time slot. Mann said, "You can call it a Michael Smithee or an Alan Mann movie."

The current residents of the apartment, where Danny Trejo's death scene was filmed, got curious after seeing the film, and pulled up the carpet in the room Trejo was shot. To their surprise, they saw that residue of the theatrical blood still remained.

McCauley's thirty second rule in action: When McCauley comes out of the hotel to drive off with Eady, it takes 42 seconds from the time he first sees Lieutenant Hanna, to when he turns and runs. It takes McCauley twelve seconds to assess the situation (sees Lieutenant Hanna, to when he starts to back away from Eady) and then thirty seconds to actually leave Eady behind.

Much of the film is based on a real-life confrontation between Chicago cop Chuck Adamson and the real Neil McCauley. Adamson was a retired police officer, whom Michael Mann had been working with off and on since the film Vagis (1981) starring James Caan (and based upon the career of famed Chicago burglar Frank Hohimer whom Adamson had arrested). They had later worked together on two shows produced by Mann: Miami Vice (1984) and Crime Story (1986). According to Chuck Adamson (and confirmed by Michael Mann) in the Heat Special Edition DVD Documentary "Crime Stories", McCauley was a professional robber, with whom he had frequently crossed paths. Events, such as the scene between Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley in the coffee shop, where they basically tell each other that the next time they meet will be their last, and the warehouse sting, where McCauley got tipped off that the cops were around, due to an officer making a noise really happened. In real-life, Neil McCauley was killed during a robbery of a grocery store (similar to the bank heist shoot-out) by Adamson's team, who were tipped off to the robbery.

The scene where Vincent catches his wife cheating, removes the television set, and later throws it from his car, was lifted from a similar scene with Dennis Farina in Crime Story (1986), also produced by Michael Mann.

In the trailer, McCauley tells the shade tree doctor "I'm double the worst trouble you've ever seen." A deleted scene explains this: the doctor had approached Neil and wanted thirty thousand dollars, instead of the usual fifteen thousand dollars, saying Neil and Chris were wanted criminals, and high-risk factors. Neil then explains to the doctor, that if Chris died from his injuries, he would hunt down the doctor and kill him.

An ending discussed featured Neil and Vincent shooting and killing each other, instead of Vincent shooting Neil. Michael Mann didn't like the idea, and therefore was not filmed. This ending was later used in Nemiga (2002), also starring Al Pacino, whose character and Robin Williams's character shoot each other in the final fight.

Body count: twenty-one.

Moby's two contributions to the soundtrack were originally meant to be reversed, his cover of Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" was supposed to play over the closing credits and "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" while Hanna pursues McCauley on the freeway. However, Michael Mann felt "God Moving" was such a cathartic piece of music, it was more suited to strike up during McCauley's death scene, ending the movie.

The shooting at the drive-in movie theater differs in one way between the movie and script drafts: in the drafts, Neil's reflexes cause him to spot the assassin creeping up to the shotgun side window and react accordingly in the nick of time. In this version, Shiherlis is not stationed on the roof of the projection building, but is instead stationed with Cheritto by the exit gate to shoot the driver. The assassin would also beg Neil to kill him afterwards.

In a deleted scene, Nate tells Neil that he and Chris will be set up with new lives in Ireland.

Hanna's team of detectives and McCauley's crew are mirror images of each other right to the end: The only detective to die, is Hanna's number two man, Bosko (Ted Levine). The only member of the crew who survives, is McCauley's number two man, Chris (Val Kilmer).

Earlier drafts had Nate getting caught by Hanna, and facing accessory charges, for the armored car robbery and the bank robbery.

Bosko (Ted Levine) is the detective that is killed during the bank robbery shoot-out. Originally, this would have gone to Schwartz (Jerry Trimble), who is shot in the shoulder by Cheritto (Tom Sizemore).

The only thief to not get away from the bank heist is carrying a different model rifle than the others, an Israeli Galil. In the armored car robbery, he is carrying a Belgian FN FAL, both weapons chambered in 7.62 NATO (.308 caliber) thus, far more powerful than his comrades' guns.

One of the only scenes in the movie in which Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) smiles, is when he sees Donald Breedan (Dennis Haysbert) in the diner's kitchen while working as a short order cook. He also smiles when Nate (Jon Voight) tells him in the car that Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) thinks he's "sharp". He might also be smiling as he watches Hanna's antics as he photographs them in the container yard, and again as he walks towards the car to Eady after killing Waingro (Kevin Gage). He also smiles briefly toward the end of his conversation with Vincent in the diner.

In his book "Modern Romance", Aziz Ansari recounted a dating story when he was living in a rented house in Los Angeles. The house is the same one, in which Trejo (Danny Trejo) lives, in this movie, shown in detail when Neil McCauley goes to the house thinking Trejo may have informed on him, but finds that Trejo's girlfriend was raped and murdered, and Trejo was shot and left paralyzed. Knowing Trejo was loyal to him and seeing his compatriot beg him to not leave him like this, Neil mercy kills Trejo.