I finally got a hold of a copy of this (deliberately?) forgotten made-for-TV film. A busted NBC pilot, it was remade by Michael Mann six years later with major studio backing and high-calibre star support. Gotta give Mann some credit,few filmmakers would have the gall to bother with such an effort. "Heat" is a scene-for-scene, frame-by-frame remake, so watching this was a lot of fun. LAT is sort of a scrappier kid brother version to the elegant, but soulless remake. Its far more frenzied/hyper. It has the look and feel of a William Friedkin film. (Mann has got the carreer Freidkin deserves) And it oozes with late 80s styles and fashion. The performances are fine, especially the two leads. At least they're more naturalistic and less self conscious than the DeNiro/Pacino team. Action wise, LAT holds out well to its bloated remake, including the bank shootout. This film even shows a little more concern for the "collateral damage" (i.e cops and civilians) than '95 version. Not a masterpiece, but a very good action flik with heart and moxie.
Review of L.A. Takedown
