‘Heat’ Was Based on Michael Mann’s Underrated TV Movie From 1989

Starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the opposite big-screen roles of professional thief Neil McCauley and LAPD lieutenant Vincent Hanna, Heat was a 1995 winter blockbuster hit. The surprisingly emotional heist stole the critics, audiences and the box office away, with The Guardian actually calling the movie one of the greatest crime films of all time. Less than a year ago, director, writer and producer of Heat, Michael Mann, said in an interview with Deadline that the sequel script is actually close to completion. It’s going to be based on the novel, which was released in 2022. But before anybody starts gearing up for Mann’s future theatrical works, we need to take a step back in time.

The filmmaker is known for continuously expanding his intense, action-packed stories and Heat has that same type of origin. In this case, it all started with a 1989 made-for-TV movie. L.A. Takedown made its premiere on NBC on a summer night. This was originally supposed to be a television series, but the pilot for the show just didn’t mesh with network executives. While most online outlets deem L.A. Takedown to be the basis for Heat, that’s quite an understatement. Some scenes may be left out and the conclusion may be altered, but there are definitely some sequences that were just pulled from the TV film for the Warner Bros. release.

‘L.A. Takedown’ Is as Close to ‘Heat’ as It Can Be

NBC

Alex McArthur and the late Scott Plank are the characters that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino later step into. Kevin Gage’s Waingro (the catalyst for all the trouble) is first played by Xander Berkeley. These names are obviously not as well known as the first three, but they absolutely make their presence felt here. They are cunning, confident, and even callous at times. The casting was actually an important note to make. Mann’s pick of Plank for L.A. Takedown was explicitly the reason behind the television series to TV movie switch. Even though the actor had been in numerous works before (and many after), NBC asked Mann to replace him. When the director said no, the channel shifted the span of the program to a single, longer time slot. How’s that for network power?

Short anecdote aside, L.A. Takedown (also known as Made in L.A.) was framed around real-life criminal Neil McCauley and an ex-police officer, Chuck Adamson. McArthur’s character brought this persona to the small screen and did it in a way that most say compliments the Heat rendition. There are similar scenes, like trying to shoot the new recruit in the parking lot, the confrontational diner scene, and convincing the love interest to fly away with him, and they all come across with the same level of intensity and are equally mesmerizing.

Michael Mann Mixes Crime with Creativity

NBC

As much as L.A. Takedown feels similar, there are differences as well that may slight some viewers. Hanna’s stepdaughter and her plight are nowhere to be found, as well as Roger Van Zant, the money launderer that McCauley sells the stolen goods to. The numerous cuts to the story were due to the original commission from NBC: Mann had a screenplay from 1979 which he chopped down to fit the ninety-minute pilot. As mentioned before, though, the most important beats from Heat are shown off here. Even without Natalie Portman’s Lauren in the plot or the corrupt office clerk hiding money, the psychological angle is still at play — especially when McLaren has to kill one of his own.

The movie is still very effective in showcasing Mann’s mixture between “human being” realism and shoot-out surrealism. Some even say the two leads in L.A. Takedown might even be more believable in their roles. There are no over-the-top deliveries or cheesy mannerisms. The idea that this was going to be a made-for-television movie allowed Plank and McArthur to dial it down just enough to make the world seem that much more real.

Between the soundtrack, the consistent energy and stylistic approach, Mann’s 1989 production has an overwhelming written connection to Heat but also has an underlying tether to other ’80s titles like Miami Vice and Hunter. It’s certainly not as tight in the cinematography department, but if you watch both films back to back, you will see that this overlooked crime film was full of ambition and did all it could to stand out against other TV productions.

L.A. Takedown

Release Date

August 27, 1989

Directors

Michael Mann

• Alex McArthur

  Patrick McLaren

• Scott Plank

  Vincent Hanna

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