NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (April 2023): Kino have transferred Dick Richards + Jerry Jameson's Heat to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. We can see the less-resilient 80's stock with noisy grain. It looks a shade faded but hold together for a decent, blemish-free, HD presentation. There is very little depth. It is in the, slightly bastardized, 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Passable but certainly not dynamic. 

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the original English language. Heat has aggressive moments - gunfire and Nick's "hands and sharp objects". They comes through with effective depth. The music in the film is credited to Michael Gibbs (Whore, Housekeeping, Close My Eyes) plus some Barry Manilow in the opening bar scene. The audio is likewise clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Action Film Historians Brandon Bentley and Mike Leeder. They talk a lot about Burt, how his marquee (the world's number one box-office star from 1978 to 1982) faded and returned, how Altman was originally meant to direct Heat but found it too commercial, the troubled production history, awkward outfits, continuity etc. and much more. I didn't realize there were some many problems and lawsuits associated with the film (Burt hit director Dick Richards eventually being sued and having to pay him 1/2 million!) - so this was interesting. It devolves into some joking and personal anecdotes. There is also a 5-minute alternate ending and a trailer for Heat as well as nine other Burt Reynolds films.

Heat has Burt Reynolds in a neo noir  as a ex-mercenary, soldier of fortune - mostly protecting friends in Vegas while dreaming of traveling to Venice to live out his life. His toupee was often apparent but his charisma still shines in his character described as "probably the most dangerous man alive with sharp objects". We lost Burt in 2018 at 82-years of age. Heat was flawed - writer William Goldman cited it as "One of my major disasters..." - but I think the likeable actor was still capable of making it entertaining in a nostalgic vein. The revenge angle in the first half was fairly satisfying. The back-story, as discussed in the commentary, bordered on shocking. I can't imagine what it would have been like with Altman directing. So that can be part of the appeal of the Kino Blu-ray that really leans to Reynolds' fans or maybe action-thrillers set in Las Vegas. For others it's a bit of a throwaway.

Gary Tooze