A much ballyhooed meeting of Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, two American cinematic icons, Michael Mann's 1995 crime epic Heat has aged well and if nothing else, matured into a modern classic of the genre – consider it a sprawling, complex antecedent to the lean, muscular Collateral. Both films, set in Los Angeles, traffic in weighty themes of responsibility and risk, among others, but with different yet equally satisfying results.

Clocking in at nearly three hours (quite luxurious for a crime drama), Heat nevertheless feels somewhat rushed at times as Mann hurries to cram in as much as possible, flitting between as many as four or five storylines throughout the duration. The cat-and-mouse game between Detective Vincent Hanna (Pacino) and thief Neil McCauley (DeNiro) naturally takes center stage, but Mann sketches several involving subplots in the periphery such as Neil's attempts at romance with an acquaintance (Amy Brenneman); the domestic conflict between Neil's crew member Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) and his wife, Charlene (Ashley Judd) and Vincent's crumbling home life with his third wife, Justine (Diane Venora) as well as the tenuous relationship shared with his stepdaughter, Lauren (Natalie Portman).

Mann masterfully weaves these narrative asides amid the double and triple crosses within the world of thieves as Neil is forced to deal with a renegade criminal, Waingro (Kevin Gale) and a slippery bond trader, Roger Van Zant (William Fichtner). Heat does lag at times, particularly when it comes to Vincent's home life but the crackling tension of a heist attempted in broad daylight nearly redeems any quibbles one might have about Mann's pacing. This 20-minute sequence is the jewel of Heat's crown and rightly so; it's a bravura set piece that gets the adrenaline pumping every time.

As for the much-discussed "meeting" between Pacino and DeNiro, don't get your hopes up too much – it's more or less an anticlimax. A brief discussion between the two men in a coffee shop is what all those trailers were breathlessly advertising – it's kind of a letdown that they're not even in the same frame often. Of course, they are together towards the end – but that would be treading into spoiler territory. I'll leave that for viewers to discover.

Mann's work here is impeccable, nitpicks aside. Heat was a long time in the making – dating back to one of the director's earliest features, 1981's Thief. The themes of men, crime and duty have fascinated the filmmaker throughout his career and this movie is no exception. An engaging, compelling drama that features one of the finest ensemble casts assembled in the Nineties, Heat is a great way to spend a spare few hours.

The Video:

For its 10th anniversary release, Heat, which was shot entirely on location throughout the City of Angels, looks somewhat better than its previous DVD incarnation. Nowhere in Warner Bros.' press materials could I find anything about a remastering of Heat, but in comparison with the old disc, this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is solid, save for a few flecks of dirt and the occasional instance of grain. Color is generally spot on and I couldn't detect any artifacting or edge enhancement. There were a few trace moments of softness, but overall, this is a fine representation of cinematographer Dante Spinotti's evocative work.

Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, Heat has a very active soundstage, with the ambient effects coming in clearly for the numerous locations throughout the movie. A highlight, naturally, is the aforementioned daylight robbery – the crackle of gunfire and shattering of glass may have the neighbors calling the cops. The clarity is astonishing and will have you ducking the errant flying bullets. The film is also presented in French 5.1.

On the first disc, Mann contributes a commentary track that covers everything from location scouting to character motivation; he's extremely garrulous for the first hour, but generally runs out of steam (and starts to repeat himself) by the film's closing moments. Surprisingly, none of his collaborators were asked to join the track; I suspect they might have been able to plug some of the more sizable gaps of silence. Also on the first disc are three non-anamorphic widescreen trailers for Heat - each with a different theme. The first, "Surprise of a Lifetime," runs two minutes; the second, "Two Actors Collide," runs for two and a half minutes and the last trailer, "Closing In," runs for two minutes, 15 seconds.

The bulk of the bonus material is found on the second disc. Three behind-the-scenes documentaries, which run for an aggregate of 59 minutes (and with a "play all" option) are: the 15-minute "True Crime," the 20-minute "Crime Stories" and the 24-minute "Into the Fire" are included as is a 10-minute documentary detailing, well, "Pacino and DeNiro: The Conversation." Also available is the 12-minute "Return to the Scene of the Crime," which reunites Janice Polley and Gusmano Cesaretti, the film's location manager and associate producer, respectively, as they take viewers to certain L.A. locations used during filming. Eleven deleted scenes (which total nearly 10 minutes) are on hand – nothing truly outstanding can be found here and go figure, there's no "play all" option.

Heat is a film that's only increased in stature since its much-hyped release in 1995. The pairing of Pacino and DeNiro practically makes this film a no-brainer for fans of either – or both – actors. Mann's spare, elegant look at criminals and the men that hunt them does have its slow spots, but his breathless staging of several action scenes make Heat a thrill ride with depth. The supplemental material assembled here is generous but occasionally feels slight, but it's a vast improvement over Warner Bros.' previous edition. If you have yet to snag this on DVD, now's your chance. If you're considering an upgrade, it really boils down to how big a fan you are of this explosive crime epic.