Just perfect...

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Since I'm a fan of "Heat" I took the time to watch the preliminary material which Michael Mann created after long-lasting struggle to make his dream movie come true. Mann decided that he waited enough for a big-time production and to use this great script for TV release with the intention to continue it to a TV series.But, let's get to the point...1. Pros:1.1 I've read the 1994 revision of the script, which included unrealized shots and dialogue in the 1995's "Heat". The good thing about "L.A. Takedown" is that you have the chance to see some of those good lines and additional storyline, which serves as a bonus to what you already saw in "Heat". 1.2. Directing was very decent, but anyway I wouldn't recognize it that Mann stays behind it if I didn't knew already.1.3 You can see the growth from the original version to the remake as Heat. Comparing LA Takedown to Heat you can recognize the development and decisions which Mann took in order to make "Heat" such a classic that it is.2. Cons: 2.1 Poor Cast & Acting. Since it is TV low budget movie I guess we couldn't expect more but this was some "piece of work". Hanna's character was developed Okay, but that's all. Patrick McLaren (a.k.a. Neil in Heat) was a complete nightmare, it doesn't correspond to the image you can visualize in the script. I know that the benchmark is too high having such a great cast for Heat - comparison is out of the question.. Nevertheless those wanna-be actors on LA Takedown doesn't even deserve to be chosen for a porn movie with a storyline...3. Bottom line: if you are a fan of "Heat" and Michael Mann - see it for the above mentioned pros.. It's like looking at the draft of Mona Lisa or some other masterpiece - so it is kinda of interesting... If you are not a fan - then it is a waste of time.

... but not a patch on 'Heat' (1995).'L.A. Takedown' shows what a top-drawer director like Mann can do within the confines of TV production.However, I prefer to see it now as a blueprint for the far superior 'Heat'. The fact that the remake was made by the same director means he feels the same. 'Heat' may be shot-for-shot but 'Psycho' (1998) it sure ain't.spudmurt

This is the exact same story as the movie HEAT staring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer. The primary difference between LA Takedown and HEAT is the fact that LA Takedown doesn't drag on for 172 minutes. Even though it was a made for TV movie, it had a great plot, the actors did a great job, and it was much more fast paced when compared to HEAT. I still have it on video from when I videotaped it the first time it was on TV. I own HEAT on DVD, but if given the choice I would rather watch LA Takedown. I highly recommend it if you have an opportunity to watch it.

Mann is one of the best directors around, so it's interesting to catch some of his early 'Miami Vice' phase work. The film is virtually scene-for-scene the same as it's Mann re-make "Heat". It also comes with a more user-friendly running time than it's remake. Ultimately it's a TV movie, and the fact that not one of the actors went onto international acclaim won't come as a surprise.