L.A. Takedown

This movie has the same basic plot outline as Heat and MOST of the same characters, but is in NO WAY "scene-for-scene the same as Heat." The acting is absolutely atrocious and some of the scenes make no sense without some of the setup Heat has. I can understand why these actors haven't gone on to much beyond this movie -- THEY'RE AWFUL!!!!! Some of the storyline is just implausible and downright silly. I can also fully understand why this isn't available on DVD here in North America (the quality of this film is akin to what you might see on late night local television). However, if you're a die-hard Michael Mann fan, as am I, you should still see this, because it because it shows how much development he puts into a story.

It is great to see a low budget version of a great film. Michael Mann's 1995 masterpiece Heat was actually conceived way back in the 80s by the director Michael Mann. He decided to make it then with the limited budget he had. The scenes and even dialogues are verbatim but it is great to see what a bigger budget can get- from better thespians of the class of Pacino and Deniro to some amazing locations. This is a good film for film students to sit and analyze.

Ok so standalone you may be underwhelmed by this flick but considering it's a low budget quick turnaround straight to TV movie that's basically an extended pilot for a never made series then it is it's a huge cut above the normal. You can see how Mann took The Thief to an idea for a Miami Vice style TV show that subsequently got mashed into a TV movie and from there you can see how Heat then developed from there in line with his career - it's fascinating. It's like when they find paintings under the paintings of art masterpieces - this was the blueprint. Although Mann's usual blue palette is ironically absent. So much of the script and set pieces are the same, it's incredible to watch this and then Heat immediately after, it's like having an aparetif. Standalone it's a 3 out of 10. As part of a development, a sketch, a chance to see effectively a rough cut of a masterpiece then it's a 10. Acting is very poor in parts, I like what he later added to the themes and characters in Heat when he had the budget. It largely doesn't feel like a Mann movie to be honest, so much of his usual trademarking is missing but of course he nailed it with the remake and that was such a Mann film. All I can say is this is the perfect film to watch before Heat, it won't spoil it, it will enhance it tremendously. You can see how smart Mann was in taking all the things that were right with this - from character names to certain scenes done better/bigger to weaving in huge character arcs to otherwise lesser or even absent characters. Score was mostly terrible but even some of that is faintly recognisable in Heat as he simply developed it (shootout scene for example). Basically it's the sketch of the work of art so you get what you pay for. Michaels character by the way was probably the stand out in this film.

L. A. TAKEDOWN is an extremely watchable film, and has a script that is permeated by a kind of grim intelligence. The characters, far from being plastic stereotypes, actually engage on a psychological level. Michael Mann directs with considerable skill, and most tellingly, knows how to use music to maximum effect. In this respect, his ability at times almost reaches the genius level of the Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo. But main honours in this film must go to Alex McArthur who gives an amazing performance of such skill and power that he actually conveys the very thoughts and feelings of his character through body language or facial expression. The scene where the two protagonists (the hoodlum and the cop) have coffee together is almost faultless in conveying the powerful emotions and tensions that are at work between them, as well as the mind-set which motivates each of the characters, and, for once, the various love scenes are convincing and important to the development of the narrative. Interestingly too, (although it perhaps happened by default since it was a film made for television), the actual violence that is a necessary part of the story is rendered perhaps even more powerfully by NOT being shown, or by happening off-camera. But to my mind, the film belongs to Alex McArthur who turns in one of the best acting performances I have seen in a very long time, which is able to make you both loathe and feel pity for his character at one and the same time. No mean feat!

This is the original version of what we now know as the modern classic Heat. If you watch LA Takedown and Heat, you will see many of the scenes paralleled. LA Takedown is not a great movie, but it does make an interesting companion to its superior counterpart. Worth watching for this reason alone.