When people talk about Michael Mann’s 1995 masterpiece Heat, they usually start and end with the diner scene. You know the one. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro sitting across from each other, two titans finally sharing a frame. It was a massive cinematic event. But honestly, if you look closer at the actual soul of that movie, it’s the relationship between De Niro’s Neil McCauley and Val Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis that carries the weight.
Kilmer wasn't just a supporting actor in that film. He was the wildcard.
At the time, Kilmer was arguably at the peak of his leading-man powers. He was literally Batman. He’d just finished Batman Forever, the biggest movie of the year, yet he fought his own agents to take a supporting role in Heat. Why? Because he wanted to be able to call Robert De Niro "Bob" for the rest of his life. That’s not a joke—Kilmer actually wrote that in his memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry. He took a pay cut just to be in the room.
The Folsom State Prison Field Trip
Michael Mann is notorious for his "pre-production" boot camps. He doesn't just want you to act like a criminal; he wants you to think like one. To get the chemistry right, Mann took Val Kilmer and Robert De Niro to Folsom State Prison.
They weren't there for a tour. They were there to have lunch with actual lifers.
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Imagine being an inmate at Folsom in the mid-90s and seeing Bruce Wayne and Jake LaMotta sitting down to talk shop about armed robbery. Kilmer recalled that De Niro was a master of observation. While Kilmer might have been charming the room, De Niro was watching how the men held their spoons, how they scanned the room, and how they maintained that constant, low-level vibration of threat.
This experience bonded them. It created a shorthand that shows up on screen. When Chris is bleeding out after the bank heist and Neil refuses to leave him, you aren't watching two actors. You’re watching a loyalty that was forged in the dirt of a prison yard and months of tactical training.
Shooting Live Rounds Over "Bob's" Head
The realism in Heat is legendary. The shootout in downtown L.A. is still used by Marine recruits as a training video because of how Kilmer swaps his magazines. It’s perfect form.
But the rehearsals were even more intense.
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Kilmer once described a moment where he was practicing his cover fire with live ammunition on a range. He was literally shooting high-powered rounds over De Niro’s head to simulate the chaos of the street scene. Most actors would have a panic attack. De Niro? He just sat there, focused, probably thinking about the rhythm of the scene. Kilmer mentioned seeing De Niro "giggling like a schoolgirl" in a production van in the middle of the night because they were having so much fun being outlaws. It’s a side of "Bob" the public rarely gets to see—the giddy kid underneath the "Method" intensity.
The Poster Dispute (Or Lack Thereof)
There’s a common misconception that there was ego clashing on set. With Pacino, De Niro, and Kilmer, you’d expect a "too many cooks" situation.
It was the opposite.
Kilmer knew he was the third wheel to the Pacino/De Niro main event, and he leaned into it. When it came time to design the poster, Kilmer made one request to Michael Mann. He didn't ask for top billing. He just asked to be "sandwiched" between the two icons. If you look at the original theatrical poster, there he is—the bridge between the two greatest actors of their generation.
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Life After the Heist
Looking back now, especially after Kilmer’s passing in April 2025, those moments of connection feel heavier. Val’s battle with throat cancer and the loss of his voice were well-documented in his documentary, Val. Even when he couldn't speak, his respect for the "old guard" like De Niro remained a focal point of his legacy.
For his part, De Niro has always spoken of Kilmer with a sort of quiet, professional admiration. They were part of a specific era of "serious" filmmaking that doesn't really exist in the same way today. No green screens. No CGI muzzle flashes. Just a lot of sweat, real gunpowder, and a commitment to being "squared away."
Making the Most of the Heat Legacy
If you're a fan of these two, there are a few things you should actually do to appreciate the depth of their work together beyond just re-watching the movie on Netflix.
- Read the Memoir: Get Kilmer’s I’m Your Huckleberry. His chapters on the 90s are some of the most honest reflections on fame you'll ever read.
- Watch the Documentary: Val (2021) shows behind-the-scenes footage he filmed himself on the set of Heat. Seeing the "raw" De Niro through Kilmer’s handheld camera is a trip.
- The Heat 2 Connection: Michael Mann recently released the Heat 2 novel (which is also becoming a movie). It covers the backstory of Chris Shiherlis. Reading it with Val Kilmer’s face in mind changes the entire experience.
The partnership of Val Kilmer and Robert De Niro wasn't just a casting choice; it was a passing of the torch. Kilmer proved he could hang with the best, and De Niro found a "brother" in the craft who was just as crazy as he was.