Heat

Al "Sonny" Pacino was born on April 25, 1940 to Italian American parents in East Harlem, but grew up in the same neighborhood in the Bronx as my boss at Seagram's, Howard Miller.  Al attended the High School of Performing Arts and the Actors Studio.

Robert De Niro, Jr. was born on August 17, 1943 in Manhattan.  His father, Robert De Niro, Sr. was of Irish and Italian descent.  Junior was raised by his mother in Greenwich Village and Little Italy.  He dropped out of high school at sixteen years-of-age to pursue acting.  He also attended the Actors Studio.

In 1985, both Pacino and De Niro appeared in the crime drama film Heat, which was written, produced and directed by Michael Mann.  Pacino portrays Lt. Vincent Hanna, a LA police detective, while De Niro's character is Neil McCauley, a professional thief.  

Vincent investigates the robbery of an armored truck committed by Neil's gang.  One of Vincent's informants connects one of the gang to the robbery.  Vincent's police team then surveils the gang member.  They realize Neil is the leader of the gang and is planning another caper.  What it is, they don't know.

In an interesting twist, Vincent stops Neil on a highway and invites him for a cup of coffee.  Below is the dialog from a portion of the resulting priceless scene between two great actors.              

Vincent:  Seven years in Folsom, in the hole for three.  McNeil before that.  McNeil is as tough as they say?

Neil:  You looking to be a criminologist?  

Vincent:  You looking to go back?  I chased down some crews, guys just looking to get fucked up, get busted back.  That you?

Neil:  You must have worked some dipshit crews.  

Vincent:  I worked all kinds.  

Neil:  I am never going back.  

Vincent:  Then, don't take down scores.  

Neil:  I do what I do best.  I take scores.  You do what you do best, trying to take down guys like me.

Vincent:  So, you never wanted a regular type life? 

Neil:  What the fuck is that, barbeques and ball games?  

Vincent:  Yeah.

Neil:  This regular type life, that your life?

Vincent:  My life?  No.  My life's a disaster zone.  I got a stepdaughter so fucked up because her real father's a large type asshole.  I got a wife, but we are passing each other on the down slope of a marriage, my third, because I spend all my time chasing guys like you around the block.  That's my life. 

Neil:  A guy told me one time, don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat (the police) around the corner.  Now, if you're around me and you got to move when I move, how do you expect to be a keeper of a marriage?  

Vincent:  That's an interesting point.  What, are you a monk?

Neil:  I have a woman.  

Vincent:  What do you tell her?

Neil:  I tell her I'm a salesman.  

Vincent:  So, that if you spot me coming around that corner, you're just going to walk out on this woman?  Not say goodbye?

Neil:  That's the discipline.  

Vincent:  That's pretty vacant.  

Neil:  It is what it is.  It's that or we better go do something else.

Vincent:  I don't have anything else.

Neil:  Neither do I.

Vincent:  I don't much want to either.  

Neil:  Neither do I.  

Vincent:  You know, we're sitting here, you and I, like a couple of regular fellows, you do what you do, I do what I gotta do.  And now that we been face to face, if I'm there and I gotta put you away, I won't like it.  But I'll tell you if it's between you and some poor bastard whose wife you're gonna turn into a widow, brother, you are going down.  

Neil:  There's a flip side to that coin.  What if you do got me boxed in, then I got to put you down.  Because no matter what, you will not get in my way.  We've been face to face, yeah.  But I will not hesitate, not for a second.

Vincent:  Maybe that's the way it will be.

Neil:  Well, maybe we'll never see each other again.