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.

this is a far better film than its rating suggests, in point of fact it is superior in many ways to the remake HEAT. The movie rests solely on the performances of the actors and the writer/director rather than on any star attractions or hype (pacino and De Nero have both made far better films and put in far better performances). There are a few good set pieces in here and a myriad of fine acting performances from both the leads and the supporting cast. The fact that the re-make was relatively faithful to the original is in itself a bit of a homage and where the two films really differ is in the action sequences that overtake the story in the remake, if you want to watch a more intelligent and somewhat darker crime thriller then I recommend this before HEAT every time this should be given the credit it deserves as it was pieces like this that have allowed Mann to make a lot of the mainstream pulp films he is famous for.

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

The only reason why you have heard of this film is that people compare it with HEAT and say its the same. The truth is that the only thing simular to HEAT is the director and the story as in a cop vs bank robber.HEAT was an unbelievable film with the right amount of action and story to keep you at the edge of your seat like Goodfellas. This film on the other hand is complete rubbish, if your lucky you'll forget it the next day.OK! a few scenes are simular to HEAT but wheres the action and exploring of the characters. Thats why HEAT was so good it explored the characters which made you like them all.Another thing about this film is that you notice the location and lighting and its obviou it doesn't go..... i mean the location and lighting for some of the scenes were so bad that it makes you wonder maybe i should have been a director or a camera-man.This film is totally crap and those people who compare it to HEAT are wrong to do so...... HEAT is in another league..... u watch this film ur wastin ur time........ Good job its not as long as HEAT ! HA !