Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are two of the most prolific veteran actors currently working in Hollywood. The legends have won Oscars and have featured in multiple acclaimed films. They have also worked with legendary directors such as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola, and more.
De Niro and Pacino have worked together on four films to date, with the last being The Irishman. Though they first featured in the film The Godfather – Part II, they never shared the screen as their roles were set in different periods. The first time they ever shared a screen was in Michael Mann’s cult classic film Heat.
Michael Mann Brought Together Al Pacino And Robert De Niro On Screen
Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have been featured together in four films to date. The first time they were cast in the same film was in Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar-winning sequel The Godfather – Part II. While Pacino returned to his role as Michael Corleone from the original, De Niro played a younger Vito Corleone, who was originally played by Marlon Brando.
Though their third film Righteous Kill was not a huge hit, their fourth outing was special for cinephiles as The Irishman also threw in director Martin Scorsese in the mix. This was the first time Scorsese and Pacino were working together while the filmmaker De Niro had long been creative partners in multiple films.
Their most iconic appearance to date, however, is their second film together and the first where they actually appear on screen together: Michael Mann’s Heat. The crime drama has achieved the status of a cult classic due to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro’s involvement. The scene in which the two meet at a diner and have a dialogue has been considered to be iconic.
One of the best scenes ever. Michael Mann nailed it.
— CINETRON (@CINETRONN) May 29, 2024
Michael Mann outdid himself with HEAT.
— Hendo AI (@HendoAi) May 29, 2024
Casting DeNiro & Paccino as two sides of the same coin was genius.
Every character in the film embarked on the hero's journey.
Easily this scene as the stand out moment
🔥🎥 pic.twitter.com/Bun6hnmfto
This movie is such a masterpiece. I cannot wait for Heat 2, The book was fantastic.
— Edna Garrett (@WatchMyReview) May 29, 2024
Father-son had to wait for 20 years before finally sharing screen space. pic.twitter.com/6loDw7qBkv
— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) May 29, 2024
It's one of the best movies, one of the best scenes. Two actors at their peak. Head to head.
— HappyDays (@HappyDaysMrBond) May 29, 2024
The film was a commercial success, earning $187 million at the box office (via The Numbers). The 1995 film has also been extremely influential, with many copycat robberies also taking place after the film’s release. Filmmaker Christoper Nolan also cited it as an influence for his film The Dark Knight (via Variety).
Michael Mann Is Developing A Sequel Without Al Pacino And Robert De Niro
Michael Mann reportedly first envisioned Heat as a TV show and had actually produced a pilot with Scott Plan playing the role of LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna. While the show was canceled after Mann refused to recast Plank in the role, the pilot was reportedly aired as a TV movie called L.A. Takedown. He then revived the project after the success of The Last of the Mohicans (via Radiator Heaven).
The film was reportedly based on a real-life incident. In 2022, the filmmaker published a sequel/prequel in the form of a novel called Heat 2. Earlier last year, Mann revealed that he would be adapting the novel next after releasing his film Ferrari. He told Deadline,
Yes. Meg Gardiner and myself wrote the novel Heat 2, which came out right when we were shooting Ferrari. It did very well. I plan to shoot that next.
However, the story features a younger Neil McCauley, Robert De Niro’s character, with Ferrari star Adam Driver being rumored to be eyed for the role. Though Mann did not confirm Driver’s involvement, he mentioned that the two got along like a “house on fire” while filming Ferrari. Due to the nature of the novel, it is sufficient to say that De Niro and Al Pacino will not be returning.
Heat is available to stream on The Criterion Channel.
