went to the cinema to see michael Mann's heat. a film i have seen many times. it is possibly my fav film. the lesson i take away from it stems from just a simple line deniro gives to his girl when he comes back from the robbery. "it rains, you get wet". this explains essentially everything in life for me. action is inaction. inaction is action. actions have consequences. inaction has consequences. every step you take has meaning. every hair is numbered. we are told to take risks in life and follow our passions do what we love and all that, and in all these advice and inspirational individualistic self actualization prophetizations, it is always the sunny side. of course when we take leaps and know our risks, we always do hope to land on the right side and be successful in our attempt, but almost rarely do we visualize and even prepare for the flip side. robert deniro is a cold and calculated man who is one of the best at what he does, and is almost robotic in how he carries himself, as keeping no attachments and living that brutalist empty lifestyle, displayed in his home on the vast empty water with no furniture, go hand in hand with his profession. with all this in mind, it is certain deniro know both sides of the coin in the risk and reward of what he does, as even he is hesitant in doing that final bank job, talking sizemore's character out of it, mentioning he has plans to go away, but the reward is there, the juice is there, the itch is there, all the prep work, hes done this before. the result isnt sunny, the prep doesnt add up enough, the plans fall through, it rained, the crew got wet, but the risks were known. the dylan song i identify this film with the most is Every Grain of Sand. despair, premonition, hope, freedom, regret, tranquility, all spiritually expressed in dylan's understanding of the calamity of his journey, and his devout faith that keeps his unabashed progression in life as an artist. "In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand... That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand...Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand" every second of one's life is equal to the next, a minute, hour, or day can feel longer because of certain action, but they are still the same. the master's hand takes action in heat, signs are there, oppurtunities are given to the crew avoid the fate they meet, but their character, their lifestyle, and how their mind has been molded lead them to the fate they were always going to meet due to their past actions. the two characters involved in the rain quote aren't exactly ones who approach this fate with much disdain or avoidance. of course neither michael or neil want to get caught and die, but michael dies living out his rush of Ecstasy, "the action is the juice" he says, he gets his action, and gets his juice, and in those final moments, is as high as he'd ever get. Neil saw only two outcomes in life, slain by law, or escape to paradise, and he was understanding of both, because he knew he was never going back to prison, he doesnt have the inclination to look back on any regrets, and in his life of crime he stares death in the face, and hears his name every time he gazes into the doorway of temptations angry flame. this is a film about men who know their limits, and try to break them anyway.
