According to Michael Mann, the thing that made Val Kilmer’s iconic shootout scene in Heat so great, was the fact that “95% of you won’t be able to fire this well.” Written and directed by Mann, the crime drama movie Heat was released in 1995 and was based on his television film L.A. Takedown, an unsuccessful TV pilot. Heat follows the conflict between Los Angeles police detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and professional thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), while exploring its effect on their relationships at a personal and professional level. Val Kilmer also featured in Heat’s cast.

Heat became a really memorable film for its critical and commercial success, with many citing the movie as being one of the most influential films in its genre. Grossing $187 million at the box office worldwide, the movie stands out as being a key part of both Pacino and De Niro’s careers, marking their first ever on-screen appearance together after a slew of critically acclaimed performances. However, one of the most iconic parts of the film was actually focused on someone else entirely, and Heat easily became one of Val Kilmer’s best movie performances that everyone remembers as a result.

The Point Of Heat’s Shootout Scene Is That The Police Weren’t Ready For Someone That Good

Kilmer’s Skills Demonstrate Something More

Heat is arguably most notably known for its shootout scene, for a number of different reasons. The scene depicts Val Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis shooting against the LA police after a bank heist, laying down fire in order to escape. In an interview with Michael Mann for El Ray’s The Director Chair, the director noted, “they use some of the film of Val Kilmer firing forward, turning firing back, and doing a reload – they use that in Fort Bragg,” demonstrating just how iconic the shootout scene has become, having real-world applications. Yet, the real point of the scene shows something more.

In the interview, Mann says that “95% of you won’t be able to fire this well,” in reference to Kilmer. While this has been backed up by others, as even gun experts praised Val Kilmer’s Heat bank heist scene for technique and accuracy, the point of the shootout scene was not to prove Kilmer’s skills. Mann explains that “The police are used to overwhelming power and overwhelming force. They’re not used to being ᴀssaulted by people who know what to do.” Therefore, the scene shows how the police were not ready for someone to be as good as Chris Shiherlis.

Val Kilmer’s Reload Technique Helps Sell How Good Chris Shiherlis Is At What He Does

Michael Mann Put The Actors Through Intensive Training

As a professional thief, Val Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis needed to be shown as being the best at what he does in Heat. Therefore, Michael Mann actually subjected all the actors to intensive training for the movie. Gun training enabled Val Kilmer to become familiar with guns, allowing him the freedom and expertise to pull off a believable performance in the bank heist scene that has been commended by many. However, the reload scene in particular has been the subject of praise over the years by numerous experts, due to how quickly and fluidly the actor was able to do it.

While Heat’s Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were also subject to intensive training, according to a behind-the-scenes featurette, Kilmer states he once heard a Marine trainer tell recruits, “If you can’t change a clip as fast as this actor, get out of my army!” in reference to his shootout scene. The entire movie demonstrates a sense of realism, from the visuals to the on-set live gunfire. Yet, after three months of training, it was the notable fluidity of Val Kilmer’s reload technique which gave authenticity to his character in Heat, demonstrating that Chris Shiherlis really is an expert thief.

Sources: El Ray’s The Director’s Chair