What's really nice about this scene is that, though they seem to have differing world views, in a way they don't. Hanna tells himself it's possible to have a life outside the job, but his home life is falling apart - McCauley has always denied himself that other life, and when he does try to get it, it destroys him. Their lives, and this conversation, illustrate that thematic argument so clearly, and yet so naturally.

I love this scene. Thank you.

What's fascinating is that you can see that same exact scene in a TV pilot Mann shot BEFORE Heat, and with actors who are obviously not quite in the De Niro / Pacino league ... I wrote about it here: http://writerjoshuajames.com/dailydojo/?p=868 you can watch both scenes back to back, and what it shows is that nothing is actor-proof.

Great analysis.

Thanks for posting that link, Josh. Great stuff.

That was fascinating, Josh, thank you. One note vs nuanced, my biggest takeaway, and only in the latter do I buy these guys sitting down together, and am I left curious about what's to come. Hug a good actor indeed.

Wow. Excellent link. What I know about acting from the little I've done is that the best actors honest-to-God listen to the other person, then respond. (That old saw, "Acting is reacting.") You can tell the TV actors aren't listening to each other and are just waiting to say their next line, which gives the scene a really disjointed feel. The sides don't flow from one to the next and you have to work to add it all up. But De Niro and Pacino are really listening to one another. Their scene has a ton of breathing room in it. They listen, they consider, then they speak and it just sucks you right in.