30 years ago, the way we looked at L.A. changed forever

"The previous few years had been marked by racial tensions, civil unrest, the collapse of both the aerospace industry and the real estate market, an exodus of corporations and a massive earthquake. Much of the world seemed to feel that we were, as that infamous Time magazine cover put it, "going to hell." Then on Dec. 15, 1995, the public got its first look at something that would present L.A. in a different light - and a very different darkness."

"This month marks the 30th anniversary of "Heat," the Michael Mann crime drama. Some people love it (me); some people don't ("Al Pacino is literally chewing up Figueroa Street"). But there is no doubt that the film's visual style offers an alternative view of L.A. that has influenced a generation of filmmakers. "Heat" broke many of the rules about how art interprets the city, recoloring the metropolis and discovering beauty in many of our most demonized neighborhoods."

""It captures Los Angeles, modern Los Angeles, in a way no other film does," director Christopher Nolan said at an Oscars event a few years ago. "There is no nostalgia to it. It's a very clear view of modern Los Angeles.""

Los Angeles in 1995 experienced racial tensions, civil unrest, the collapse of aerospace and real estate markets, corporate exodus and a massive earthquake, generating a bleak reputation. On Dec. 15, 1995 the public first saw Heat, Michael Mann's crime drama. The film polarized opinions but offered a striking visual reinterpretation of Los Angeles. Heat's cinematography presented beauty in demonized neighborhoods, broke artistic rules about representing the city and influenced a generation of filmmakers. Christopher Nolan praised its clear, non-nostalgic view of modern Los Angeles. Iconic sequences include the downtown bank robbery shootout and the diner scene with Pacino and DeNiro. Mann had lived in Los Angeles for years but had rarely explored outside its tonier quarters and lived in a "culturally self-imposed ghetto" before Heat.

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