Bond & Heat

justacinephile - 2 February 2025

Novels I recently read: "Dr. No" (1958) by Ian Fleming and "Heat 2" (2022) by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner.  I highly recommend both.  

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"Dr. No": It's one of the earlier James Bond novels and was famously adapted into a movie starring Sean Connery. The movie is quite good (I've seen it three times). Synopsis: James Bond is tasked with seeking answers to the death of a colleague and the disappearance of American spacecraft. 

 I fully enjoyed the book because it delved into the vulnerabilities of Bond not shown in the movie. For pacing reasons, I can see why they weren't because it was 2 hours in duration. The vulnerabilities often involved previous missions, but what was curious his biggest vulnerability was his romantic life. Bond, in the Connery movies, was depicted as a “blunt object” with no remorse or room for love in his life. He proudly wore his womanizer status, but he never showed any insight into his personal feelings. (This changed with Lazenby in “On Her Majesty's Secret Service” and Daniel Craig's Bond).  

In the book, James Bond is infatuated with the young Honey Ryder, who he meets on the beach. She is beautiful, except for a broken nose. Ryder, once she gets to know him, opens up and shows her soft side; Ryder came from a disturbingly abusive past (another thing omitted from the movie) and puts on a tough facade. Bond takes pity and begins to fall in love with Ryder beyond a physical nature. After the villain is defeated, Ryder and Bond go off together to her bungalow in the Caribbean. They cook for each other and talk a bunch more about their lives. Again, this part is omitted from the movies and would've made the ending quite boring.  However, for the novel, this is an integral part of getting to know Bond. He's lonely because he knows he cannot become attached to anyone. MI6 uses him as a blunt object and cannot afford to have him stray or become romantically compromised. This means Bond is forever destined to be lonely, unless he leaves the service. 

I enjoyed this book because it created a complete James Bond with basic human qualities who yearns for companionship but knows its unattainable.

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The novel “Heat 2” (2022) is a sequel/prequel to the Michael Mann movie masterpiece, “Heat” (1995) - a film I've seen at least 15 times. “Heat 2” takes place in 1988, 1995-96, and 2000. Unlike the movie that takes place only in Los Angeles, this novel takes place in North America, South America, and Southeast Asia. The story follows detective, Vincent Hanna, and criminal masterminds Chris Shiherlis and Neil McCauley throughout these three time periods of crime and chasing criminals; all three are from the original movie. A new villain criminal is introduced: Otis Wardell who is vile, disgusting, and creepy - attributes Shiherlis and McCauley did not exhibit. 

The novel grabbed my attention because it was written by Michael Mann. I did not know of Meg Gardiner's work, but I am now interested after reading this novel. The story and characters stayed consistent to Mann's 1995 movie (which he actually remade from his earlier B-movie titled LA Takedown). I can see Al Pacino (Hanna), Val Kilmer (Shiherlis), and Robert DeNiro (McCauley) playing their famous roles. I'm aware they cannot reprise their roles in the “Heat 2” adaptation due to their current age, but it's worth the nostalgia. 

I won't discuss the plot of the novel anymore because it reveals too much of “Heat” (1995) for those who still want to enjoy it. The two largest aspects of “Heat 2” I'm impressed with is the writing voice of Michael Mann and the depth of insight of Meg Gardiner. Mann oozes the seedy criminal underbelly feeling throughout the novel, just like he showed glimpses of in his movie. There are different classes and breeds of criminals which Mann blends together to create seething tension. It's often uncomfortable, but well worth the tension and intense moral conflict. 

Gardiner, as I can tell, largely wrote the southeast Asia part of the book. Her research and grasp of the criminal underworld of this part of the world is fantastic. I felt immersed and frightened from the realism of the narrative she crafted. Again, I won't talk about who was involved in this part because it'll spoil “Heat” and “Heat 2”. Mann's and Gardiner's writing voices differ, but for the better. Of course the Southeast Asia story should be wildly different from the American part. 

I'm energized to know “Heat 2” is planned to be adapted into a screenplay and film. The original story created by Michael Mann should be expanded and celebrated on the silver screen.  It should be a brutal, violent, terrifying, mesmerizing, and amazing motion picture.