As a preliminary draft to "Heat", Mann's made-for-TV crime drama about a gung-ho cop and a professional criminal works. It lays the foundation for the bigger-budget film in which Pacino and De Niro hone their chops, but as a stand alone film "LA Takedown" (or as I watched it "Made in LA") is a dated, censored look at a bigger picture. Having watched "Heat" first, and several times over, it is difficult not to make comparisons between the two films. It is reminiscent of watching the original "Gaslight" and the remake produced just four years later while in that case the original is better one cannot help but compare the differences. That is the case with Mann's TV outing. While it is impressive to see that Mann stuck with his original story, it is the characters that fail to live up to the "Heat" hype. Scott Plank and Alex McArthur are good actors, but they are no icons. Their squabble between each other seems staged, less emotional, and not quite as tense as seen in the later film. McArthur isn't as smart, Plank isn't as gruff, and what makes it work in "Heat" is the back story Mann creates. The world surrounding our characters in "Heat" makes them believable, more than just characters on a page while in this film, running at just an hour and a half, it is difficult to believe each character's squabbles. Both films are a character driven film, with two intense scenes of action, but without the characters, we couldn't have created the moments. I believe Mann realized that with "LA Takedown", and it is why "Heat" seems to focus more intently on our players.
Again, I am not one that likes to say one is obviously better than the other, but when looked out separately, "LA Takedown" would feel dated, tired, and confusing. It isn't a film to be remembered, which is why it probably hasn't been transferred to DVD yet, and perhaps forgotten for good. "Heat" takes every lacking element in this original draft and powerfully re-masters it using stronger actors, other plot lines, and a clear definition of "why".
Overall, I liked this original film merely for the idea. The concept that was finally redefined as "Heat" is perhaps not quiet as welcomed in 1989, but "LA Takedown" could not be watched again. In the catalogue of Mann films, it is important to see, but it is not as emotionally powerful or kinetically charged as "Heat". With an unfocused story and minimal character development (with plenty of yelling a classic 80s answer to building tension), "LA Takedown" doesn't give hope for the early made-for-TV movie, but it does showcase Mann's ideas. As a teacher, I would ask Mann to rewrite and develop further, and with his answer as being "Heat", the project would then be complete.
Watch this film once, but upgrade yourself accordingly.
Grade: ** out of *****
Again, I am not one that likes to say one is obviously better than the other, but when looked out separately, "LA Takedown" would feel dated, tired, and confusing. It isn't a film to be remembered, which is why it probably hasn't been transferred to DVD yet, and perhaps forgotten for good. "Heat" takes every lacking element in this original draft and powerfully re-masters it using stronger actors, other plot lines, and a clear definition of "why".
Overall, I liked this original film merely for the idea. The concept that was finally redefined as "Heat" is perhaps not quiet as welcomed in 1989, but "LA Takedown" could not be watched again. In the catalogue of Mann films, it is important to see, but it is not as emotionally powerful or kinetically charged as "Heat". With an unfocused story and minimal character development (with plenty of yelling a classic 80s answer to building tension), "LA Takedown" doesn't give hope for the early made-for-TV movie, but it does showcase Mann's ideas. As a teacher, I would ask Mann to rewrite and develop further, and with his answer as being "Heat", the project would then be complete.
Watch this film once, but upgrade yourself accordingly.
Grade: ** out of *****