Tweekums
Patrick McLaren leads a crew of professional thieves whose latest job is an armoured car robbery in Los Angeles. All goes according to plan until a recent recruit to his team shoots and kills one of the three guards. In the chaos that follows another guard fights back and knocks the mask of one of the gang before he is shot and killed; not wanting to leave anybody who can identify them the thieves kill the final guard. Afterwards the man responsible is kicked off the team and told to stay away from them.As soon a news breaks about the raid LAPD Sgt Vincent Hanna sets about trying to identify the team; eventually they get a lead and start tracking McLaren and his crew. They later realise they have been identified but decide to continue with their planned 'one last big job'. Before the job goes down Hanna confronts McLaren over a cup of coffee; it is clear that neither man intends to back down.This TV movie is famous as the 'film that was remade as 'Heat''; I won't be comparing them though as it is quite a while since I saw that film. This film is a lot better than might expect from a TV movie; the only real hints that this wasn't made for the cinema is the lack of swearing and a lower level of gore when characters are shot... something I'm sure many viewers will see as a plus. There is plenty of impressive action but really this is about the characters; specifically about Hanna and McLaren. Scott Plank and Alex McArthur impress in these roles. The supporting cast is pretty solid too. As one would expect from director Michael Mann there is lots of style and a great atmosphere. Overall I'd certainly recommend this film for fans of the genre; don't be put off by its 'TV movie' status.
Plamen Totev
Since I'm a fan of "Heat" I took the time to watch the preliminary material which Michael Mann created after long-lasting struggle to make his dream movie come true. Mann decided that he waited enough for a big-time production and to use this great script for TV release with the intention to continue it to a TV series.But, let's get to the point...1. Pros:1.1 I've read the 1994 revision of the script, which included unrealized shots and dialogue in the 1995's "Heat". The good thing about "L.A. Takedown" is that you have the chance to see some of those good lines and additional storyline, which serves as a bonus to what you already saw in "Heat". 1.2. Directing was very decent, but anyway I wouldn't recognize it that Mann stays behind it if I didn't knew already.1.3 You can see the growth from the original version to the remake as Heat. Comparing LA Takedown to Heat you can recognize the development and decisions which Mann took in order to make "Heat" such a classic that it is.2. Cons: 2.1 Poor Cast & Acting. Since it is TV low budget movie I guess we couldn't expect more but this was some "piece of work". Hanna's character was developed Okay, but that's all. Patrick McLaren (a.k.a. Neil in Heat) was a complete nightmare, it doesn't correspond to the image you can visualize in the script. I know that the benchmark is too high having such a great cast for Heat - comparison is out of the question.. Nevertheless those wanna-be actors on LA Takedown doesn't even deserve to be chosen for a porn movie with a storyline...3. Bottom line: if you are a fan of "Heat" and Michael Mann - see it for the above mentioned pros.. It's like looking at the draft of Mona Lisa or some other masterpiece - so it is kinda of interesting... If you are not a fan - then it is a waste of time.
Framescourer
It's impossible to talk about this film in isolation from Mann's second, more successful attempt. They are almost identical films by virtue of the script, although there is different emphasis at given moments. Heat is a better film; it has the all the administrative advantages of coming after this one as well as better actors and a larger budget.Yet L.A. Takedown stands up well. Scott Plank (Hanna/Pacino) and Alex Arthur (Patrick McClaren/de Niro) are well cast, even adopting the same mania/iceberg opposed mannerisms as the more famous incumbents of the role. The raw existential despair that is the undoing of the two characters stays in the script but hasn't translated quite as well onto the screen - Laura Harrington's Eady says 'lonely' but doesn't look it, like Amy Brenneman does. Ely Pouget is an honest, worldly woman like Diane Venore though.There's one minor loose end but that's it really. We still get the trademark bleached look, set piece authenticity and soulful, LA-by-night shots that Mann likes. A fairly good thriller in its own right but a deeply fascinating one to watch in tandem with Heat. 5/10
kevin c
Mann is one of the best directors around, so it's interesting to catch some of his early 'Miami Vice' phase work. The film is virtually scene-for-scene the same as it's Mann re-make "Heat". It also comes with a more user-friendly running time than it's remake. Ultimately it's a TV movie, and the fact that not one of the actors went onto international acclaim won't come as a surprise.
AD
