Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice took inspiration from Al Pacino’s 1995 classic Heat. Batman v Superman has proven to be one of the most divisive films in the DCEU. Snyder’s second film in his now canceled five-film DCEU plan was panned by critics for its clumsy storytelling and darker tone, however; Chris Terrio recently revealed that Warner Bros. sabotaged Batman v Superman by cutting 30 minutes of the theatrical version. However, the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman proved to be a much more positive experience for fans, and of course, BvS did set up Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which fans have praised for being a big improvement from the 2017 film.
Batman v Superman told the story of the inevitable showdown between the two titanic DC superheroes, as Bruce Wayne deems Superman a threat to humanity and sets out to take down the Man of Steel. The aggressive and more ruthless demeanor of Ben Affleck’s Batman did play a big part in the criticism towards the film’s darker tone. However, it turns out the portrayal of Affleck’s Batman character also had to do with influence from Pacino’s crime-drama Heat, a film that also inspired another key scene in Batman v Superman.
During the virtual Justice Con convention, Snyder and Terrio discussed all things Justice League, and naturally, the conversation extended to previous DCEU installments such as Batman v Superman. When discussing Batman’s origins and introducing their version of the character into the DCEU, Terrio recalled a conversation he and Snyder had with Affleck about Heat and how the Pacino and De Niro’s characters had “been around a minute.” The writer stated that the tone of those worn-down characters was highlighted a little in Batman. In addition to that, Snyder recalled how they used Heat as an inspiration for Batman and Superman’s “first meeting.”
Chris Terrio: “I seem to remember, Zack, I think, we and Ben had a conversation about Michael Mann’s movie Heat, right? About the cop who’s been around, you know. Pacino and De Niro, they’ve been around a minute. They’ve seen it all, and there was a bit of that tone even in Batman. The James Bond tone that we wanted to introduce a little more into his civilian scenes.”
Zack Snyder: “Yeah, didn’t we talk a little bit about having Heat inspire the first meeting also of Superman and Batman?”
The influence of Heat is quite interesting, but it does make sense when comparing Affleck’s Batman to Pacino’s cop Vincent Hanna and De Niro’s criminal Neil McCauley. The similarities, particularly to Pacino’s Hanna, are evident as both are flawed and disgruntled characters and often lack the compassion the good guy is supposed to have. In regards to the first meeting of the two superheroes, if Snyder is referring to when Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent at Lex Luthor’s party, it is akin to De Niro and Pacino’s rather civilized first meeting in Heat, where the two foes talk over coffee. Although it may not have the same level of success as Heat, Clark and Bruce’s meeting does provide a tease that arguably increases the excitement to see the two eventually collide in their suits.
It’s another interesting insight into the creative process behind Snyder and his team while putting together their DCEU stories. Although Warner Bros. seems sure in their intention to move away from Snyder’s DC universe, fans are still clamoring for them to restore the Snyderverse. Recently, fans rallied together to get “Make The Batfleck Movie” trending on Twitter. At this time, it does not look like Snyder’s DC universe will continue. But with this new insight into Batman v Superman’s Heat influence, fans can perhaps appreciate his past work even more.
Source: Justice Con
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