Hard-boiled ex-con Neil McCauley is the leader of a crew of seasoned thieves who operate with grim determination and military discipline. But when a last-minute replacement on his team leads to a bloody triple murder during an armoured truck robbery, McCauley is targeted by veteran detective Vincent Hanna, whose obsessive dedication both mirrors and contrasts with McCauley's ruthless professionalism.

A model of mainstream narrative storytelling and a masterpiece of action cinema — the epic shootout in the heart of downtown LA is one of the most remarkable set pieces in film history — Heat remains as incendiary today as it was twenty years ago.