Heat Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Heat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 17, 2017

Michael Mann's "Heat" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment UK. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new featurettes; archival audio commentary with Michael Mann; deleted and extended scenes; archival featurettes; and trailers. In English, with optional English SDH, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, and Thai subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Michael Mann's action thriller Heat was initially released on Blu-ray in multiple territories in 2009. In all territories the local distributors accessed a master that was prepared by Warner Bros. in the United States. This new release of Heat is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster of the film that was supervised by director Mann. In the United Kingdom, it is promoted as the Director's Definitive Edition of Heat and is distributed locally By Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. You can see our review of the first U.S. Blu-ray release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment here.

Heat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Mann's Heat arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a new 4K remaster of Heat which was supervised by director Mann. I did some extensive comparisons between the original U.S. release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and this new release and can confirm that there are indeed some very obvious discrepancies between the two. If you have a very large screen or a projector you will immediately notice improvements in terms of depth and fluidity. The difference is especially obvious during close-ups -- as virtually all of them have a much 'tighter' appearance now -- but during larger panoramic shots delineation is also superior. During a lot of the indoor footage the images also appear better balanced and smoother (not artificially repolished with digital tools). To be perfectly clear, the darker/indoor footage actually makes it quite clear that the master that was used to produce the release is of exceptionally high-quality because density is quite simply outstanding. Furthermore, the color grading is different, though I personally do not find the discrepancy to be substantial thus changing the film's intended atmosphere. During the daylight footage, for instance, it is often easy to tell that there is a shift towards slightly warmer nuances (see screencapture #24 and screencapture #3 from the review of the first release), but the new grading does not create the impression that there is an across-the-board alteration of color values. On the contrary, there are numerous segments where it is quite difficult to pinpoint the difference(s). There are also areas where it appears that the new grading enhances some of the grays and gray nuances, giving the film a slightly more prominent 'steely' appearance. Image stability is outstanding. The encoding is good, though there is still some room for small optimizations. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Heat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are five standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), French: DTS 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, Spanish/Castellano: DTS 5.1, and Portuguese: DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. (Some viewers are reporting Japanese tracks as well, but I cannot access them with my player). Optional English SDH, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, and Thai subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I thought that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track was outstanding. It has an excellent range of nuanced dynamics and during the shootouts intensity is fantastic. I did some direct comparisons during the famous bank sequence at the end of the film and I want to specifically mention that the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track from the previous release actually does a pretty good job of reproducing many, if not all, of the same qualities that define the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Where the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track appears to have an edge is the expanded depth, though I can only speculate about the type of remastering work that might have been done to improve it. There are no mastering defects to report.

Heat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

* All of the supplemental features that are included on this two-disc set are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

Disc One

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary with director Michael Mann was also included on the 2009 Blu-ray release of Heat. It is a very intelligent commentary which I have revisited multiple times because Mann offers an abundance of information that addresses the stylistic appearance of his film and the evolving relationships between the various characters and in the process reveals a complex structure that in many ways I find a lot more fascinating than the original plot. In English, with optional English, Spanish, French, and German subtitles.

Disc Two

• Filmmaker Panels -
  
  1. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2016) - presented here is a filmed conversation between director Michael Mann, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Christopher Nolan. The four gentlemen discuss the genesis of Heat, its unique visual style, the two iconic characters and the differences and similarities between them, the film's cultural significance, Michael Mann's working methods, etc. In English, with multiple optional subtitles. (64 min).
  
  2. Toronto International Film Festival (2015) - presented here is a filmed Q&A session with director Michael Mann in which he discusses the original story that inspired Heat, some of the major dilemmas the two iconic characters in it face, the shooting process (with some very interesting comments about the choreography of some famous sequences), the structure of the narrative, etc. In English, with multiple optional subtitles. (31 min).

• The Making of Heat - this three-part documentary takes a closer look at the production history of Heat. Included in it are clips from archival interviews with Michael Mann and various cast and crew members. The documentary is also included on the original Blu-ray release of Heat. In English, with multiple optional subtitles. (31 min).
  
  1. True Crime
  2. Crime Stories
  3. Into the Fire

• Pacino and De Niro: The Conversation - this archival piece examines the two characters played by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The piece is included on the original Blu-ray release of Heat. In English, with multiple optional subtitles. (10 min).

• Return to the Scene of the Crime - in this archival featurette, location manager Janice Polley and associate producer Gusmano Cesaretti explain how some of the key locations that are seen in Heat were chosen and discuss Michael Mann's working methods. The featurette is included on the original Blu-ray release of Heat. In English, with multiple optional subtitles. (12 min).

• Additional Footage - Deleted Scenes - these deleted and extended scenes were also included on the original Blu-ray release of Heat. In English, with multiple optional subtitles. (10 min).
  
  1. Scene 5 - Season's Starting Early
  2. Scene 42 - Nicest Guy on the Block
  3. Scene 55 - Albert and Hanna (Alternate Take)
  4. Scene 62 - Shakedown
  5. Scene 76 - Murder in C-Block
  6. Scene 96A - Let's Dance
  7. Scene 125 - Late Arrival
  8. Scene 148/147 - Where's Anna?
  9. Scene 177B - Double the Worst Trouble
  10. Scene 191 - Nate Delivers
  11. Scene 204A - No Response

• Theatrical Trailers - three original theatrical trailers for Heat. In English, with multiple optional subtitles. (7 min).
  
  1. Surprise of a Lifetime
  2. Two Actors Collide
  3. Closing In

Heat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am little surprised that this new Director's Definitive Edition of Heat did not get a 4K Blu-ray release. I think that the new 4K master is very good and the Blu-ray release represents a very strong upgrade in quality, but I am also convinced that a 4K Blu-ray release would have made the difference even more obvious because various color nuances would be a lot more prominent in 4K. I hope Warner would consider producing a 4K Blu-ray release for the U.S. market as it will be the type of release that will encourage a lot of people to finally pick up a 4K Blu-ray player. The new release has two very informative exclusive bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.