lazarus Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 (edited) Saw this piece about one of my all time favorite movies: Heat (1995): . . . What are some movie scenes that are way more realistic than we might think? Heat’s Shootout Scene Has Been Used to Train U.S Marine Recruits Heat (1995), Michael Mann’s magnum opus, is one of the greatest movies of all time and one of my Top 10 favourite movies. It marked the first time Robert De Niro and Al Pacino shared screen space, but the movie has so much more to offer than just its iconic casting. Mann strove to imbue the film with an acute sense of realism. That authenticity manifests itself in both big ways and small. He spent 7 months on ride-alongs with the LAPD’s robbery and homicide department. It is that depth of dedication that makes Heat’s iconic shootout scene one of the greatest in film history. All actors were given firearms training for three months by former SAS soldier Andy McNab, and actors playing robbers were tasked with planning an actual bank robbery, including ‘casing the joint’ without getting caught. Since Mann was adamant on shooting on location, the sequence took several weeks to film because they could only work on weekends. Instead of dubbing-in the sound of gunfire later, Mann placed mics strategically around the location. For Mann, the action is the juice. In the film, the sound of the gunfire echoing off the skyscrapers adds to the visceral thrill of the scene. The bank robbery and shootout sequence were shown to United States Marine recruits at MCRD San Diego as an example of the proper way to retreat while under fire. And the part where Val Kilmer performs a rapid reload while under fire was shown as an example of how to perform that manoeuvre correctly. Heat has inspired movies – The Dark Knight, The Town, Den of Thieves and it has inspired video games – Grand Theft Auto 3 and 5 and Payday 1 and 2. Heat is the seminal, modern heist/robbery movie. It was made in ‘95. Still, a movie hasn’t been made since that has a deeper feel of authenticity. It feels so real that bank robbers then copied Heat. And when I was interviewing people in prison they referenced Heat. And when I was interviewing the FBI, they referenced Heat. So, aside from feeling bummed out that I’d always be in the shadow of Heat, I can certainly tell you, for sure, with great authority, that Heat is the one movie that’s cited as the real thing by people who really do that stuff. - Ben Affleck (Director, The Town) God I love Heat. A guy told me one time, “Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” . . . https://deepheeds.com/ . . . Edited March 14 by lazarus 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 14 hours ago, lazarus said: Saw this piece about one of my all time favorite movies: Heat (1995): Agreed, great movie. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boydeste Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Ditto from me, one of my all time favourites too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted March 15 Author Share Posted March 15 (edited) For the film Training Day, Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke spent time with real gang members (the Crips and the Bloods), drove with real police officers, and spoke to drug dealers in the L.A. area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_Day Fuqua (the director) wanted Training Day to look as authentic as possible, and he shot on location in some of the most infamous neighborhoods of Los Angeles. He even obtained permission to shoot in the Imperial Courts housing project, the first time L.A. street gangs had allowed a film crew to be brought into that neighborhood. The crew also filmed in Hoover Block and Baldwin Village. Parts of the film were shot on a dead end street called Palmwood Drive, where the Black P. Stones Blood gang members were seen on the rooftops. Cle Shaheed Sloan, the gang technical advisor of Training Day, managed to get on screen real-life gang members from Rollin' 60 Crips, PJ Watts Crips, and B. P. Stones (a Bloods set). According to Fuqua, the actors and crew ended up receiving a warm welcome from local residents. When he was unable to shoot a scene directly on location, he recreated the locations on sets. . . . Edited March 15 by lazarus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roomark Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Brilliant film .. Rarely get so many legends in one film. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 (edited) . . . Which actors who can't stand each other have been able to set their differences aside long enough to work together on a movie that became very successful? Director John Boorman intentionally cast British actors Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren as enemies in the hit 1981 fantasy film “Excalibur” because Williamson and Mirren hated each other in real life. At one time, the two actors were actually lovers but went through a bad breakup while starring together in a 1974 theatrical production of Macbeth. As a result, Williamson (who was notoriously eccentric and temperamental both on and off stage) was bitter and angry toward Mirren, and he called their work together on the play “a disaster.” Mirren came away from the experience saying that Williamson was dark, cold and nasty to her: “Our relationship was horrendous.” After Macbeth, she never wanted to work with him again, nor did he with her. Director John Boorman envisioned very real tension and friction when he cast Nicol Williamson as the sorcerer Merlin and Helen Mirren as the sorceress Morgana in the sprawling fantasy film “Excalibur” (1981). Boorman expected to see sparks fly, and that’s what he wanted onscreen. Initially, Williamson and Mirren flat out refused the roles because of their hatred for one another. However, John Boorman persisted (offering more and more assurances and money) until the actors finally agreed. Mirren recalled: “Of course, being greedy and wanting the role, I said, ‘f**k it. I’ll just put up with it.’” To everyone’s amazement, Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren actually reconciled their differences and became great friends while working on Excalibur, and the film was a groundbreaking success for the sword-and-sorcery genre. The two actors came away from it loving each other (as friends) once more. . . . . . . Edited March 29 by lazarus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 At the top of my list for realism would be the Omaha Beach landing in Saving Private Ryan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasseye Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 give me some time on this one. That new movie "Greyhound" on Apple tv + with Tom Hanks is tremendous. Highly recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 Tony Montana -- the quintessential drug lord from Scarface... . . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts