This movie is said to be a good one because it has both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in it together, two largely known, successful actors.
Summary
-After a group of thieves performing high-end heists leaves a clue at their latest scene, heat from the LAPD starts coming down on them
-Al Pacino: Lt. Vincent Hanna
-Robert De Niro: Neil McCauley
-Val Kilmer: Chris Shiherlis
-Jon Voight: Nate
-Tom Sizemore: Michael Cheritto
-Diane Venora: Justine
-Amy Brenneman: Eady
-Ashley Judd: Charlene Shiherlis
-Mykelti Williamson: Drucker
-Wes Studi: Casals
-Ted Levine: Bosko
-Dennis Haysbert: Donald Breedan
-William Fichtner: Roger Van Zant
-Natalie Portman: Lauren Gustafson
-Kevin Gage: Waingro
-During the bank robbery shootout, director Michael Mann inserted microphones around the set to capture the sound of gunfire live
-During the scene where Lt. Hanna meets with Neil McCauley, that scene was not rehearsed prior to filming. Al Pacino, who plays Hanna, felt that the scene should just be shot and not rehearsed prior because the unfamiliarity between the two would make it seem more realistic. Michael Mann agreed and shot the scene of the two together
-Kevin Gage, who played Waingro, was in prison for two years in 2003 after he and a friend had gotten a license to grow medicinal marijuana. Since it was in California and marijuana is legal for medicinal use there, the federal government disagreed and sentenced him to a 41-month sentence, out of which he only served two years. Because of his role of in the movie, fellow inmates and even the prison guards referred to him as "Waingro"
-According to Al Pacino, in an early draft of the film, Vincent Hanna was supposed to be addicted to cocaine, which explains the loud outbursts
-What sold Robert De Niro on filming this was the coffee shop scene between Lt. Vincent Hanna and Neil McAuley. Later on, it was admitted that between Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Michael Mann, that was the scene most anticipated on being filmed
-Val Kilmer was overjoyed when he found out that the scene during the bank robbery shootout, where he runs out bullets and rapidly changes the magazine, is shown on a regular basis to Marine recruits as an example of how to do that properly
-This is the first film to star both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Despite both appearing in The Godfather: Part II (1974), they never shared screen time together because it was done in split chronological order.
-This was filmed without the use of a soundstage
-Michael Mann had made this movie as a tribute to late friend of his in Chicago. His friend was a detective on the Chicago Police Department who obsessively tracked and killed a thief he had met under a non-violent time
-Amy Brenneman didn't want to be in the movie because she felt that there was too much blood and too little morality. It was this kind of mindset, Michael Mann told her, that would make her perfect for the role of Eady
-Danny Trejo, a member of Neil's crew, had also been incarcerated at Folsom Prison, just like Neil
-Fearing being typecast as a criminal because he was initially supposed to play Waingro, Ted Levine asked to play the role of Bosko
-Unfortunately, this movie inspired a series of real-life bank robberies in South Africa, Columbia, Denmark, Norway and even, most famously, in Los Angeles. In 1997, the North Hollywood branch of The Bank of America, was robbed by Larry Phillips Jr and Emil Matasareanu, which resulted in a shootout. They were confronted by LAPD as they exited the bank. The LAPD opened fire and killed both robbers while eleven police officers and seven bystanders were injured. During news coverage, this movie was heavily referenced as a possible inspiration
-Michael Mann stated that the reason Neil wore gray suits was so that he could not draw attention to himself and blend in with the crowd
-Jon Voight didn't want the role of Nate in the movie because he felt other actors could do this role better. Michael Mann told him that he wanted Voight for the role because he'd always wanted to work with him
-The two main characters were said to have been in the Marine Corps. During the meeting about the final robbery, Lt. Hanna (Al Pacino) is talked about while McCauley is seen possessing an Eagle, Globe and Anchor tattoo on his arm while in bed with Eady (Amy Brenneman)
-Michael Mann's first choices for Lt. Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley were Al Pacino and Robert De Niro
-To help them prepare for their roles, Michael Mann took Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore and Robert De Niro to Folsom State Prison to interview real-life career criminals
-During the armed car robbery, the "Console TV Man" was not an actor, but an actual homeless person living near the location of the scene being filmed. Local business owners usually left an extension cord behind their stores so he could plug in his television. When producers were out looking for locations for the film, they met him, and they wanted him to have a role in the film
-Jon Voight's character Nate is based on real life career criminal Edward Bunker. Bunker had starred in another heist-related film, 1992's Reservoir Dogs
-During the coffee shop scene, the actual restaurant's employees were used as extras
-Initially, Keanu Reeves was supposed to play Chris Shiherlis, the role played by Val Kilmer and so was another actor named Carsten Norgaard. But Val Kilmer was able to squeeze this into his schedule between filming Batman Forever (1995)
-Mykelti Williamson said in an interview that director Michael Mann had made an arrangement for cast to meet with real-life LAPD detectives and real-life career criminals at a restaurant in LA, where both criminals and LAPD both went. The cast playing the LAPD had dinner with the detectives and their wives one night while the cast playing the heist crew had dinner with the criminals and their wives on a different night. Williamson said that Mann arranged this so that the cast would have a much better idea on how real-life detectives and criminals interacted with each other
-Prior to having the role of "Trejo" in this movie, Danny Trejo and Edward Bunker were hired as consultants on armed robbery, since that is what both went to prison for. Michael Mann spotted Danny and he introduced him to Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer and Jon Voight, where they discussed career criminals and police. Trejo would end up getting this role as a result
-Mick Gould and Andy McNab, both former British Special Air Service soldiers, trained the cast in how to use weapons and perform tactics. Gould appears as one of the police officers who breaks into Henry Rollins' apartment
-Dennis Farina was a consultant on the film since he has experience working as a Chicago police officer. The film was based on the story of a Chicago police officer tracking a thief. Farina had even played a Chicago police officer in 1986's Crime Story
-Robert De Niro was the first person to get the script for the film. He showed it to fellow actor Al Pacino, who also wanted to star in it
-When Waingro is at the bar, he tells the bartender he spent time at Folsom State Prison and also the "SHU" at Pelican Bay. Pelican Bay State Prison is where the worst of the worst, the most dangerous of the most dangerous criminals in California are housed. "SHU" is the solitary confinement
-Diane Venora was amused when she heard that she had gotten the part of Al Pacino's wife in the film. The script described her character as a "languorous red head with thighs for days".
-The painting Pacific by Alex Colville inspired the scene where Robert De Niro is standing against a window, overlooking the ocean
-Prior to filming, Al Pacino had a full facelift done
-Michael Mann stated he has wanted to work with Robert De Niro ever since he saw him in the 1973 film Mean Streets
-To research her role, Ashley Judd met a number of former prostitutes who had become housewives
-While filming this movie, Hank Azaria was also filming 1996's The Birdcage. The scene he's featured in was filmed on his 30th birthday. It also happened to be Al Pacino's 54th birthday
-This is only Natalie Portman's second film
-The slicked back hair and Armani suits favored by Vincent Hanna are a tribute to Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley
-An early draft of the script had the character Eady as Chinese
-It's said that both Neil McCauley and Vincent Hanna are very similar. They were both in the Marines, they are both nicely dressed, both are relentless in what they do, they both gave up romantic relationships for their jobs and before breaking down a door, they both checked their guns to make sure there was a round in the chamber
-In an interview, Michael Mann stated that the character Chris Shiherlis met Charlene while he was in Las Vegas, on a huge winning streak and Charlene was a high priced call girl
-When Neil and Nate are reviewing an application from Vincent Hanna, his date of birth is listed as 7/15/1953. In real life, Al Pacino was born on 4/25/1940. He lists his job as Salesperson, the same position that McCauley identifies as his profession to Eady
-In Vincent's office at the Major Crimes Unit, a Marine Corps plaque appears, only with the crossed swords removed
-Brad Pitt and Jean Reno were considered for the role of Chris Shiherlis
-William Petersen and Jean Claude Van Damme were considered for the role of Michael Cheritto. This role went to Tom Sizemore instead
-Hank Azaria based the voice Moe uses on The Simpsons on Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon
-Much of this movie is based on a true story. It's of Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson and a real life thief named Neil McCauley
-In the scene where Vincent catches his wife cheating, removes the television and throws it from his car is similar to a scene in 1986's Crime Story with Dennis Farina
-In an interview, Michael Mann stated that Cheritto is a heroin addict and the peacock tattoo is covering the track marks
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