20 Things You Didn't Know About Heat
16. It's (Loosely) Based On A True Story
Believe it or not, but the loose shell of the movie's story is based on actual events, albeit embellished for cinematic reasons by Mann.
The film is semi-adapted from a real-life cat-and-mouse game between Chicago cop Chuck Adamson, a real-life friend of Mann's who has worked with him on other projects, and a criminal called Neil McCauley.
McCauley was a professional thief who Adamson chased throughout his career, and scenes such as the iconic diner meeting between Hanna and McCauley actually happened between Adamson and the real-life version of the criminal.
McCauley wasn't killed in quite as dramatic a location as the LAX tarmac, though, instead being gunned down by Adamson's team while he attempted to rob a grocery store.