this is a far better film than its rating suggests, in point of fact it is superior in many ways to the remake HEAT. The movie rests solely on the performances of the actors and the writer/director rather than on any star attractions or hype (pacino and De Nero have both made far better films and put in far better performances). There are a few good set pieces in here and a myriad of fine acting performances from both the leads and the supporting cast. The fact that the re-make was relatively faithful to the original is in itself a bit of a homage and where the two films really differ is in the action sequences that overtake the story in the remake, if you want to watch a more intelligent and somewhat darker crime thriller then I recommend this before HEAT every time this should be given the credit it deserves as it was pieces like this that have allowed Mann to make a lot of the mainstream pulp films he is famous for.
Review of L.A. Takedown
