Heat

Heat

Year: 1987

Runtime: 101 min

Language: Russian

Directors: Jerry Jameson, Dick Richards

ActionDramaThrillerCrime

A hardened ex-soldier working as a security expert in Las Vegas finds himself embroiled in a dangerous conflict with the city’s criminal underworld. He takes on specialized protection assignments, known as "Chaperone" jobs, hoping to accumulate enough money to start a new life in Venice. However, his past catches up with him, forcing him into a high-stakes battle for survival.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Heat (1987)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Heat (1987). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Las Vegas, Nevada, Venice, Italy

Las Vegas serves as a glittering backdrop of casinos, nightclubs, and high-stakes games that drive Nick’s world. The city’s underworld collides with out-of-town ambition as DeMarco’s crimes unfold around the hotel suites and casino floors. A closing vignette shows a dream of retirement in Venice, contrasting the neon glare with a calmer, distant fantasy.

🎰 Neon Las Vegas 🌃 Nightlife 💸 High-stakes gambling

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:35

Main Characters – Heat (1987)

Meet the key characters of Heat (1987), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Nick Escalante (Burt Reynolds)

A former soldier-of-fortune turned bodyguard-for-hire, Nick is lethal with his hands and with sharp objects. He is a compulsive gambler whose dream of moving to Venice drives much of his risk-taking. He projects composed confidence, but his gambling addiction pulls him back into Las Vegas’s dangerous orbit.

🎯 Gambler 💪 Tough 🗡️ Violent

Holly (Karen Young)

Nick’s prostitute friend who endures brutal treatment at the hands of DeMarco’s crew. She becomes a catalyst for Nick’s vengeance as she pushes back against oppression. She shows street-smarts and grit but remains emotionally vulnerable amid the danger.

💔 Survivor 🗡️ Revenge 🕊️ Resilient

Cyrus Kinnick (Peter MacNicol)

Wealthy but meek, Cyrus seeks Nick’s coaching to become tougher. Under Nick’s tutelage, he tries to borrow power and persona, exposing the costs of borrowed toughness. He embodies aspirational desire and the fragility of self-made strength.

💼 Ambition 🎯 Aspiration 🧭 Growth

Danny DeMarco

A Vegas high roller with organized-crime connections who underestimates Nick. DeMarco embodies the corrupt power structure Nick must confront, and his arrogance precipitates his downfall.

💰 Power 🗡️ Violence

Baby

A crime boss who mediates fights and negotiates leverage. His authority and willingness to let violence unfold showcase the underworld’s fragile hierarchy and the limits of loyalty.

🕶️ Power 🤝 Alliance

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:35

Major Themes – Heat (1987)

Explore the central themes of Heat (1987), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎰 Gambling

Gambling is more than a pastime; it dictates Nick’s choices and pushes him to chase enough money to retire in Venice. His compulsive betting traps him in cycles of risk and reward, highlighting the perilous lure of easy wealth. The casino becomes a theatre where morality frays and decisions become matters of survival. The pursuit of fortune shapes the characters’ fates and the film’s tension.

🗡️ Violence

Nick’s violence is practical and improvisational, using blades and improvised weapons against seasoned thugs. The narrative centers on his ability to neutralize threats without firearms, reflecting a soldier’s skill set adapted to crime. The confrontations with Kinlaw and Tiel are brutal and efficient, underscoring a world where leverage equals life or death. The climactic chase and darkness-inflicted standoff heighten the sense of danger.

🃏 Deception

Deception threads through every alliance Nick forms, revealing a world where trust is currency and loyalties shift with the next bet. DeMarco’s plan unravels as manipulation and misdirection backfire, illustrating the fragility of power in crime. The film uses twists and double meanings to blur who is hunter and who is prey. For Nick, deception becomes as essential as any weapon.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:35

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Gritty, High-Stakes Crime Movies like Heat

Professionals in the criminal underworld pushed to their absolute limits.If you liked the tense criminal underworld and formidable professionals of 'Heat', explore more movies with similar gritty, high-stakes crime operatics. These films feature complex heists, determined anti-heroes, and relentless cat-and-mouse chases in a harsh, unforgiving world.

tensegrittybrutaldeterminedunforgivinghigh-stakesurbanviolent

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically follows experts—be they cops, robbers, or fixers—locked in a battle of wits and wills. The plot is driven by a central, high-value objective, often a heist or a hunt, which forces characters to confront their own codes, loyalties, and capacity for violence as the pressure mounts.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared focus on professional competence under extreme pressure, a dark and gritty tone, and the visceral thrill of high-stakes conflict. They deliver a specific, tense experience rooted in the mechanics and consequences of crime.

Movies with Damaged Bodyguards like the Protagonist in Heat

Skilled protectors battling inner demons while fighting external threats.Fans of the formidable yet self-destructive bodyguard in 'Heat' will find similar themes in these movies. Discover stories about skilled protectors haunted by their past, battling addiction, and seeking redemption or escape through violent, high-stakes assignments.

determinedcompulsiveunforgivingclaustrophobicbrutaltensedamagedredemption

Narrative Summary

The journey follows a protagonist whose exceptional skills in protection or violence are a double-edged sword. Their external mission of safeguarding someone or achieving a goal is constantly complicated by an internal battle against self-destructive habits, a traumatic past, or a desperate yearning for a life they can't quite reach.

Why These Movies?

This thread connects films through a specific character archetype: the flawed protector. The shared experience is the tension between external competence and internal turmoil, creating a heavy emotional weight and a compelling, often tragic, character study within an action-thriller framework.

Unlock the Full Story of Heat

Don't stop at just watching — explore Heat in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Heat is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Heat Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Heat, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Heat Summary

Heat Timeline

Track the full timeline of Heat with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Heat Timeline

Heat Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Heat that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Heat Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Heat

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Heat: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Heat