HEAT

Released in 1995, Heat is the ultimate "cops and robbers" movie. The setting is Las Angeles, and the characters play out on the streets where whether you're a good guy or a bad guy, you are handling guns and shooting people. At first, it was difficult for me to really distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys, since they both tended to play it a bit fast and loose where the law was concerned.

However, once distinguished I had no problem getting my head wrapped around the movie as a whole. With greats such as Al Pacino, Robert de Nero, Val Kilmer, and Jon Voight playing the lead roles and supported by other familiar names such as Amy Brennamen, Natalie Portman, and Ashley Judd, you have to find this movie as engaging as I did.

It's rated R for the language and extreme violence, but it's a gritty movie and one any cops-and-robbers movie lover will be thrilled to watch. After you've seen the down and dirty side of crime and law enforcement in this movie, you'll be ready to get out your Ladybug steam cleaners to get the grit off your floors!