It has been said that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have acted in almost all of the Best Hollywood crime films from the 1970s to the present, and this is true.
"The Line of Fire" is the last masterpiece of the peak of the two's acting skills, and it also symbolizes the end of an era.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="01" > a belated gathering</h1>
In 1972, when Al Pacino shined in The Godfather, the unprofessional Robert De Niro was still just an obscure dragon suit actor, and although he became a strong contender for the role of Sandino Sonny Corleone during the audition, he could only play a small gangster who stood by the piano and did not say a word in the meaningful gangster epic of "The Godfather".
Two years later, Robert De Niro, who became a Hollywood rookie with "Poor Streets and Alleys", was doubly worthy, and he finally got the opportunity to play the young version of Vito Corleone in "The Godfather 2".
However, due to parallel narratives, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, although they are the protagonists of the same story in the same movie, have no chance to play each other throughout the film.
It is even more regrettable that after this, De Niro and Pacino have no intersection, and the "Godfather Showdown" expected by thousands of viewers has not been staged on the screen.
Later, the two successfully promoted to the Oscar with "Smelling The Woman" and "Angry Bull", and they have been on opposite sides since then.
It wasn't until years later, in "The Line of Fire", that the two "godfathers" had the opportunity to meet again in the same movie.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="02" > peak showdown</h1>
The 170-minute length can almost be called fatal for today's commercial films, and the longer the length means that in the same period, the number of movies that can be scheduled in the cinema will be reduced, and the reduction in the number of scenes will largely mean a reduction in the box office, because few movies can achieve the level of fullness like "The Lord of the Rings" and "Avatar".
But for audiences familiar with the work of older filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Sergio Leon, etc., a three- or four-hour length is the standard for a good underworld film.
The generous length of the film allows Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to unleash themselves in the film and perform their respective roles in a fascinating way.
The final effect of the film is amazing, the two film emperors did not disappoint the eagerly awaited audience, and their first and only peak duel on the screen made countless viewers still remember it even after many years.
One plays a policeman who plays the fate of the chase, one plays the gangster who plays the end of the world, these two characters who are destined to have a life and death contest sit together in the coffee shop, like old friends who have not seen each other for many years, but the words are full of hints and speculations.
This classic scene is thrilling just thinking about it, and it has since become a template for the same type of film that has been repeated and used continuously.
However, no matter how later people reproduce it, they can never surpass the real interpretation of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in "The Line of Fire".
Why?
On the one hand, due to the rich and tortuous storyline and delicate and moving inner world exploration before the film, on the other hand, because Pacino and De Niro have participated in many masterpieces of the same genre before this, the grasp of the characters of good and evil can almost be said to be handy.
Rather than saying that the two are acting in a movie, it is better to say that they have faded their external masks in a parallel world full of love and hatred, and truly revealed themselves.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="03" > a tragedy</h1>
Hollywood crime genre movies that use multi-line narratives and multi-protagonist settings are not uncommon, such as "The Godfather 2", "Once Upon a Time in America", "Good Guys", etc., but Hollywood movies that use the real "two male duel" mode are not "Rogue Line", such as "Infernal Affairs", "American Gangsters" and so on are the continuation of the same model.
Hollywood's crime genre movies can be described as a long history, with the development of the times, gradually evolved into a variety of creative directions, including "The Godfather" as a representative of the depiction of monetary interests and flesh and blood affection, inherent order and legal edges of the film constantly wandering, there are also "Tiger's Guts" as the representative of the simple depiction of good and evil duel popcorn blockbusters, and "Line of Fire" in the police conflict and confrontation, in-depth display of the character's inner world, explore the multi-theme ideas of the film masterpiece.
Based on the basic conventions and moral measurements of police films, the confrontation between good and evil and the duel between good and evil are readily available in "The Line of Fire".
However, unlike the simple binary opposition model in the same type of film, director Michael Mann does not preconceived the position of one side to oppose the other, but stands on an objective global perspective to show the lives, emotions and plight of police and criminals at the same time.
In other words, he completely left the right and space to think in the film to the audience, and there was no face to preset the character image, so that the character image became more three-dimensional and hierarchical.
This narrative feature is most directly reflected in the policeman Vincent played by Al Pacino and the bandit Neil played by Robert De Niro, who can almost be called the most intelligent and professional police character in the whole film, he is meticulous about his work and he chases after the bandits.
However, outside of work, he is a complete loser, grumpy, simple and rough personality makes him have almost no friends outside of work, family life is like a mess, has been divorced three times, and now the marriage is also in name only, on the verge of collapse. However, he was too busy dealing with cases and tracking down criminals, but he didn't even have time to deal with his family conflicts.
Neil, on the other hand, is a competent criminal, cool-headed, unobtrusive, and fierce. On the outside, he looks alone, uninhibited, unencumbered by emotions.
But in the depths of his heart, he always carries a heart that has nowhere to put and no destination, and preserves the true feelings of the world.
He has feelings and righteousness for his companions, will stand up desperately when his companions encounter family conflicts, and will take the initiative to suggest to his companions to stop when the risk is huge.
Although in front of Vincent, he talked about his career as a criminal, but in fact he has always longed for a good love, which is why when he accidentally met Eddie, he gradually retreated.
Under such a shaping, with the continuous deepening of the film's two-line narrative, the audience can gradually find the two protagonists who are also in difficulty and difficult to choose in real life, and thus have a certain emotional identification with both characters at the same time.
Based on this understanding and understanding, when Vincent and Neil finally inevitably meet and duel, the audience's attitude is no longer the duel of good and evil as at the beginning, but more like a tragic stage.
Two characters who also need to survive in the face of cruel reality have to compete between you and me in order to achieve their respective life goals.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="04" > no longer play the female role of the vase</h1>
In this nearly three-hour film masterpiece, in addition to the protagonists Vincent and Neil, the protagonists of the two narrative lines, the film also uses an extremely limited narrative space to outline a group of female characters with angular and different personalities, making the contradictions and conflicts between the characters appear more cruel and real, moving.
As Vincent's third wife, Justin longs deeply for her husband to one day be free from the shackles of work, return to the family, and be a competent husband and father, even if this seems to be an unattainable fantasy.
After her husband repeatedly quit his job and did not care about the family, Justin, who could not bear it, expressed his protest and dissatisfaction in his own way.
In the end, when her daughter committed suicide by cutting her wrists and getting rid of family conflicts, Justin realized that he had not only lost her husband, but also deeply neglected her daughter.
Lauren, played by Natalie Portman, is Vincent's stepdaughter, the daughter of Charlie.
As a young man, she had to deal with her parents' divorce, frequent conflicts over the reorganization of the family, and having an incompetent biological father.
In the end, when the mother insisted on expressing her dissatisfaction to Vincent, the helpless Lauren expressed his silent protest by cutting his wrists and committing suicide.
As Chris's wife, Charlene can't stand her husband's wanton behavior and rough treatment, so when her husband is as angry and smashed again, she chooses to betray and cheat, but deep down she still loves Chris deeply.
At the end of the film, when the police coerce and induce her to testify against her husband as an informant, she still chooses to give Chris a code word and let him escape.
This is a tragic housewife image, she has never been able to really calm her husband's restless heart, dissatisfied but eventually learned to be relieved.
Finally, it has to be mentioned that Edie, who eventually had a retreat in His heart, wanted to have a peaceful life.
As an ordinary clerk in the library, she is introverted and shy, and although the film does not pay much attention to her past, it is conceivable that she can feel the loneliness of struggling to survive in the vast sea of people.
In a way, she and Neil also have a soul with nowhere to stay and no home, which is why she chose to talk to Neil at the restaurant, because she saw her own shadow in Neil.
In addition to the wonderful performances of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in the movie, powerful film stars such as Fang Kimmer and John Walter have shown their profound acting skills in the movie, which is amazing!