The Heat

THE HEAT

Director : Paul Feig

Year : 2013

Genre : Comedy

Rating : ****



Reuniting director Paul Feig with actress Melissa McCarthy, 'The Heat' is a buddy cop film with a difference; managing to twist a seemingly conventional genre piece into something we haven't seen before. Telling the story of 2 female officers who have to bring down a drug baron, the movie may sound like every other cop thriller that's ever been made. But thanks to a number of great action scenes, two fantastic comedic performers at the top of their game in lead roles and a restrained but accomplished directing style from Feig, 'The Heat' carries about it a subtlety that really made smile. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy both work extremely well together and the dichotomies between their characters makes for some brilliant comedy moments. However, unlike most other action films, the movie has at it's heart an underlying positivity and good nature that makes it so much more enjoyable than a large majority of it's counterparts. With moments of tremendous laughter, scenes of surprisingly moving material and two of the best actresses in comedy at it's centre, 'The Heat' is a much better film that I could have possibly imagined.

'The Heat' tells the story of 2 police officers who have to work together to bring down a notorious drug baron, who is shipping tons of narcotics into the country and bringing danger to whoever stands in his way. Sandra Bullock plays Sarah Ashborne, a strict and professional FBI agent who is sent to Boston to work with detective Shannon Mullin's to try and apprehend the unknown criminal. However, whereas Ashborne is an uptight and serious agent who tries to use words to get the felon, Mullins is a lot more forthright and brash; prone to physical violence to bring down a suspect. At first the two personalities clash and there are a lot of uncomfortable moments but as the case deepens and the two spend more time together, a bond is formed. Bringing out the best in each other and learning what a true friend is, Ashborne and Mullins learn to cooperate and become a formidable team who vow to find their man if the last thing they do.

Director Paul Feig is best known for his 2011 ensemble comedy 'Bridesmaids' which was so popular and well received that one of it's stars Melissa McCarthy was actually nominated for an Academy Award. While I didn't find the film to be as funny as everyone else, I did enjoy 'Bridesmaids' immensely  and I can certainly see why it did as well as it did. I wasn't such a fan of the extended diarrhoea scene and I think there may have been one or two characters too many for us to care about, but as a whole, the film was one of the best comedies of that year. Now, McCarthy teams up again with Feig for 'The Heat' and while there maybe more action, more violence and more bloodshed in this movie, both 'Bridesmaids' and 'The Heat' contain essentially  2 identical elements; characters we like and care about and possibly the most important, the ideology that women can be just as funny as men. There has been a longstanding stigma in Hollywood that females just aren't as comedically talented as males and while men based comedies are as common as pigeons, women based comedies are as rare as a good Nicolas Cage film. However thanks to directors like Feig, that ratio has been evened out and female comedians are now as popular as they have ever been. Actresses like Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey, Elizabeth Banks and Mila Kunis continue to populate our cinema screens and while some films turn out be just as hideous as any male based comedy, many are better acted, better written and just plain funnier. This can be certainly be said of 'The Heat' which doesn't only show that women can be hilarious, but can also be great action stars. Full of explosions, gun battles and endless amount of fight scenes, 'The Heat' is one of the most action packed films of the Summer and to me, it is one of the best. Not just because of the two brilliant central performances, but also because of Feig's adept direction which manages to invest in it's characters and create a fair amount of tension and adrenaline through fast camera moves and a joyous use of blood and physical violence.

Sandra Bullock is one of the funniest women who has ever lived, and 'The Heat' only secures her reputation. Playing basically the same character as she did in 'Miss Congeniality', Bullock plays an uptight and serious FBI agent with vigour and class. However, it is when her character changes and she becomes much more violent and carefree that her comedic talents really shine. Playing an archetype that we have never seen from her before, Feig manages to show us that Sandra Bullock is a great action star who is just as fierce and as strong as any man. Deadly with a gun, swift like an eagle and even willing to take a knife in the leg, she is a force not to be reckoned with.

Melissa McCarthy is just brilliant as the brash detective Mullins and many of her scenes are genuinely laugh out loud. Covering a wide range of comedic styles from slapstick to verbal, McCarthy cements her place as possibly the funniest woman on the planet. Yes she's rude, forceful and more likely to throw a phonebook at a suspect rather than talk to them, but her character is softened by a big heart and a caring nature. While on the outside she is a maelstrom of swearwords and violence, underneath she is a compassionate person who is fiercely loyal to her friends and family. It is this aspect of her personality that makes 'The Heat' so different to nearly every other cop film ever made. It is rare for a film of this genre to contain such emotion and passion and the scenes that are meant to be heartfelt and emotional really are heartfelt and emotional. Unlike 'Identity Thief' which was just a horrifically unfunny mess that forced a completely fake shift in personalities on us, the character arcs in 'The Heat' seem genuine and real and as the movie progresses and the two have gotten to know each other better, Bullock becomes more like McCarthy and McCarthy becomes more like Bullock. It is fun to watch this metamorphosis take place and each actress manages to play each side of their personalities with deft and ease. I really have grown to like Melissa McCarthy as an actress and I really hope that someone will write a serious part for her in the future. Based on her performances in both 'Bridesmaids' and 'The Heat', I think she could really knock a dramatic role out of the park and into the awards season calendar.

While there is a lot of things to like about 'The Heat', there are problems. The biggest one is the horrible choice of songs and music that Feig has chosen to intersect scenes with; a mix of loud hip hop and R 'n B. Clearly chosen to attract a typical teenage audience, the soundtrack really doesn't match well with the action on screen and maybe a pre composed score would have better fitted the tone of the film, much like David Arnold's score for Edgar Wright's 'Hot Fuzz'. Another problem with the movie is that while the two leads are memorable and extremely likable, there is no sort of primary antagonist for us to really hate. This means that the film does lose a sense of momentum and purpose and can slow the film down at some points. A stronger and more memorable villain would have made me root for Bullock and McCarthy more and would have packed more of a punch at the various tragic moments. The climax is generic and obvious, but thanks to the two leads it does seem to work and clearly sets 'The Heat' up for a sequel. While I'm not sure that the film needs a second instalment, I would gladly spend more time in the company of such strong and likable women.

Full of cursing, violence and bloodshed, 'The Heat' will not be everyone and can see McCarthy's language being at the brunt of the criticism of the movie. The trailer for the film really emphasises the profanity and may have put many people off from seeing the film in the first place. To be honest, I was not looking forward to the film myself based on the horrifically put together advertising campaign, which was clearly made to attract the same audience who liked such mediocre fare as 'The Hangover' and 'Identity Thief'. But if you can get past the barrage of F - words and concentrate on the storyline, you will find a solid action film that has a good heart and a lust for silliness and slapstick. It's not perfect and could have done with one more run through the editing machine, but for the most part 'The Heat' is a well made and brilliantly acted comedy that should have you laughing from start to finish.

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