Book Review: Heat Two

It has been almost 30 years since Michael Mann’s magnum opus Heat was released onto cinema screens and changed the way that people looked at crime films. In the film we follow Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), who along with his highly professional crew take down big level heists; and Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a LA homicide detective whose erratic and extremely obsessive personality leads him down the rabbit hole of catching Neil and his crew. What sets apart Heat, and most Mann films, from other crime thrillers is both the dreamy and ethereal way he shoots his environments and the vast level of detail he puts into his worlds and characters. Even the secondary characters feel incredibly fleshed out. All of this helps add a deep emotional resonance that most crime films do not have.

Despite living in an era full of prequels, reboots and remakes – Mann has stayed completely free of all of that. He has never directed a franchise film or a sequel, but has now returned to his most popular film universe with his debut novel Heat 2 but in a totally fresh way. Written alongside Meg Gardiner, it is a near 500 page crime thriller book that acts as both a prequel and a sequel to the original film. We go back to 1988 and see Neil taking on some early scores and Hanna investigating a series of incredibly violent home invasions; we then jump to the year 2000 as Chris Siherlis (who actually acts as the central character throughout) works with a new syndicate and Hanna tracks down a killer haunting the streets of LA. However, these aren’t just sporadic dates, they all intertwine in ways that you can’t anticipate when first starting the book.

Whilst it is by no means a detractor from the book it is worth mentioning it is very hard to detach from the film – so if you were not a fan of that or have never seen it then this might be hard to get into. However, for those who are there is a wealth of detail in the book that not only adds to the initial world but actually enriches it. Through further glimpses into the lives of the film's damaged, solitary men we understand more about them and why they act the way that they do. Although these explanations and new stories never feel like cheap fan service, Mann has famously claimed he knew pretty much all of the characters' backstories from writing the original script and it’s easy to believe that. He is known for being an obsessive filmmaker and this book feels very much in line with that.

The book is clearly something created by Mann. He is able to distinctively imprint his style onto paper, this is something that some people will love and some people might dislike. On paper this leads to action scenes that are written in very immense detail and large paragraphs focusing on small, technical details. However, as in his films there are some truly beautiful, emotionally resonant moments to be found here; nobody describes the trees gently shaking in the wind or the bright city lights of LA like Mann and Gardiner do here. All of the new characters fit brilliantly into the world and only add to the thematic depth of the book. Throughout reading you can instantly picture how every scene in the book would look and even sound, given that lots of these characters have had iconic actors play them. 

Mann and Gardiner aren’t just pulling from Heat with this novel though, there are DNA strands of almost every film he has made here. Whether it is Neil’s crew cracking safes on the streets of 80s Chicago just like Frank does in Thief, Hanna’s investigation of a series of brutal home invasion crimes that feel reminiscent of Manhunter’s Dolarhyde, or Blackhat with the books intricate world of globalised crime involving brand new technologies in the new millenium. Despite running multiple plot lines in different time periods it never feels clunky, Mann and Gardiner managed to weave these together seamlessly – bringing together four decades of themes and concepts that culminate in a very satisfying way. 

It is easy to see why Mann decided to create this as a book and not a film, it is absolutely huge in scope. With a myriad of plot threads, numerous locations and big set pieces – the budgetary and time restrictions would prove to be a seemingly insurmountable task. However, he has declared in numerous recent interviews that he does intend on doing a film adaptation and that it will be a large film. Despite the run time, the obvious impossible challenge is finding actors good enough to fill the shoes of screen icons such as De Niro, Pacino and Kilmer. Regardless if we get a film adaptation or not, Heat 2 is a worthy addition to Mann’s obsession with lonely, romantic wanderers. It wonderfully fleshes out a world that is so incredibly rich in detail and is a thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone who is a fan of the director's legendary films.