Heat, Film 4, 11.25pm
Michael Mann’s sprawling, Los Angeles-set crime flick deserves its reputation as a classic, though only just: its glossy, of-its-time feel was perfect for 1995 but a quarter of a century on it’s hard not to fix it with a wouldn’t-get-away-with-that-now label. It barely passes the so-called Bechdel Test – named for its instigator, cult graphic novelist Alison Bechdel, it asks the question: does any work have two women talking to each other about something other than a man? – which is ironic given the acting talent lined up on the distaff side. Ashley Judd, Amy Brenneman, noted Shakespearean actress Diane Venora and a 14-year-old Natalie Portman all feature. What do they do? Not much. Mostly they hang on the arm and the every word of stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer, except for Portman, who plays a troubled schoolgirl. That aside, Heat is nothing if not slick and its long running time and pleasingly complex plot certainly gives it the feel and shape of an epic. And of course there’s that historic on screen meeting between De Niro and Pacino to enjoy, they first time they had shared a scene together.