Warning: Spoilers Below For The Heat 2 NovelIf a movie adaptation of sequel novel Heat 2 ever happens, it will have a heist sequence that would rival – or even top – the legendary bank setpiece from the original film. Heat is recognized as one of the best movies of the ’90s for its incredible ensemble, slick direction and action scenes, but the initial response was a little mixed, with some reviewers citing the long runtime and large cast of characters as issues.
Of course, Heat is now seen as an evergreen classic, and has been praised by the likes of Christopher Nolan – who referenced it heavily in The Dark Knight – and Ben Affleck. The look and tone of the Heat has often been imitated in films like Den Of Thieves, but few have come close to capturing what made it so special. The film ended in a definite way for many of its characters too, so a sequel didn’t seem likely.
After years of a Heat 2 novel being teased by director Michael Mann, it finally arrived in August 2022. Co-written by Mann and Meg Gardiner, the book hops between multiple timelines, exploring the day after Heat ended, six years in the past and then ending in the year 2000. In keeping with the film, it’s a sprawling epic with a large cast of characters – many of whom return from Heat – that explores the way crime itself evolved over the course of a decade. The book quickly topped bestseller lists and received mainly positive reviews. Mann is also determined to make Heat 2 into a movie, and if that happens, its motel heist might top the original’s most iconic sequence.
Heat 2’s Motel Siege Could Outdo Heat’s Bank Heist
Heat has many famous sequences – such as the acclaimed diner meeting between Al Pacino’s cop Hanna and Robert De Niro’s thief McCauley – but the bank heist might be its most recognizable. This sees De Niro’s McCauley, Val Kilmer’s Shiherlis and Tom Sizemore’s Cheritto rob a bank in downtown L.A., unaware that Hanna and his men are closing in outside. This leads to a ferocious battle between the crew and the LAPD which is considered one of the best gunfights committed to film.
Heat 2 features many impressive setpieces of its own, with the highlight being an intense heist that Mann – who saved Miami Vice – and Gardiner stage at a Mexico hotel. This passage takes place in 1988 which sees McCauley’s crew stumble upon a seemingly abandoned hotel that is used as a stash house for cartel money. After staking out “Motel La Chinesca,” the crew executes an elaborate, stealthy heist to steal millions. It’s the most heart-pounding passage of the book that – just like Heat – doesn’t go exactly according to McCauley’s best-laid plan.
If Heat 2 is turned into a movie, the Motel La Chinesca heist will undoubtedly be the setpiece most often teased in trailers and interviews. It’s a textbook Michael Mann sequence that recalls the bank heist from Heat without simply rehashing it. It also reads like something that was meticulously researched by the authors, who milk every ounce of suspense possible from it.
