A normal life, what the fuck is that?
When you gaze into the abyss and the abyss gazes into you, who blinks first?
The likes of Cheritto and Bosco have families, responsibilities, and pursuits outside of their work, but Hanna and Macauley are different. Though their roles as leaders elevate them above their respective crews, there is something else beneath the surface, which gives a much deeper meaning.
Of all of the characters contained within the tapestry of Heat, only these two replicate Colville’s Pacific. This indicates that these men are not polar opposites. Instead, they are troubled by the same, unspoken thoughts.
In this part of the analysis, we will uncover the hidden backgrounds of these characters, reveal their unspoken thoughts, and gain a new perspective of Heat.
Early in the film, we do not know the end goals of Hanna and Macauley. What we do know however, is that both sides are spurred on by their ideal adversary. Within this existential arms race the true nature of their obsession is revealed.
In this pursuit, there’s no time for trivial matters, evidenced by Hanna’s outburst to Torena: “don’t waste my motherfucking time” and Macauley’s dreams about “having enough time”. The result is collateral damage on both sides of the equation, most notably suffered by those who desire a normal existence: the wives and children caught between these two worlds.
This is most evident in the marital relationships of the main players.
In examining these relationships, the unspoken thoughts that trouble these men are revealed.
The strongest demonstration of this can be seen in Chris, specifically when comparing his range of behavior before, during, and after major scores.
During the initial score, Chris is a man who is on point, focused, and in the brief gunfight, inches from death. Immediately after the event, there are no signs of nerves, stress, or any form of emotional turbulence. This level of control is also demonstrated in murder attempt on Waingrow. However, when Chris returns home to his wife, we see a duality to his character; namely, an inability to function in the normal world.
It quickly becomes apparent that Chris is in a strained relationship. While he attempts to allay his wife’s concerns, it descends into confrontation.
The key point here is the line that sends Chris over the edge:
Charlene Shiherlis: “We’re not making forward progress like real grown-up adults living our lives, because I’m married to a gambling junkie who won’t listen.”
This is at odds with the level of control we see in Chris during each of these scenes:
In each of the above scenes, Chris has a calm focus and is decisive under fire. Therefore, his violent reaction contradicts the character that we are familiar with. In reality, if a man with such command over himself received a slight on his character, it would ricochet off him. Instead, Chris loses control in a situation where there is no threat of physical danger. Evidently, Chris is more comfortable in facing a loaded firearm than he is in confronting the truth of his troubled existence.
If this behaviour was demonstrated by only one character, it could be dismissed as unique to that individual. If it were demonstrated by two, it would be an unusual coincidence. However, once we see it in three or more characters, it demonstrates something else: a pattern.
The anger we see in Shiherlis is also present in Hanna and Macauley. Therefore, we have a clear indication that this behaviour is common to the men of this hidden world. By studying key details in the film, we can discover the cause of this behaviour and understand why these men are so obsessed with their craft, despite the risks involved.
Looking at clues throughout the film, it is evident that each man has a military background. Among the many examples, the most notable for each can be seen below:
Macauley – After his night with Eady, there is a brief shot of his Marine Corps tattoo.
Hanna – Nate highlights Hanna’s Marine Corps background prior to joining the police force: “He's a hot dog. Graduate school, marine corps.”
Shiherlihs – his movement, especially during the bank shootout is so textbook, that the footage is used to train marines in real life. (specifically: use of cover, reloading speed and trigger discipline).
In looking at the time the film is set (mid-nineties), we can surmise that each of these men not only had military training, but also saw live combat. Judging by the ages of Hanna and Macauley, it’s likely that both served in Vietnam. For Shiherlis, it is probable that he served in the first Iraq war.
Knowing this information changes the dynamic of what we see onscreen. Like Colville painting bodies at Bergen Belsen, these men encountered something beyond the limitations of human capacity. A part of them was irrevocably altered, leaving them with a sense of reality out of sync with what they once knew. This is not to say that this new perspective is wrong, or that old perspective is right, however the two are mutually exclusive, resulting in an existential clash, and a sense of emptiness that cannot be fulfilled by the life they once knew.
The reason for Chris’ outburst is now clear. His frustration is due to his incompatibility with a normal life, in his case, a stable relationship. Gambling is a factor, but it is only a symptom of the larger problem. The thrill of gambling merely serves to occupy the slack between scores. Charlene is unable to see this, because she exists on another plane of reality, one to which Chris can never return.