L.A. Takedown (1989) **1/2

Michael Mann's L.A. Takedown (1989) serves as a decent dry run for his 1995 film Heat (review). A TV movie with the same characters, much of the same dialogue and staging, though much poorer acting, L.A. Takedown still offers some cool action scenes (particularly for a TV movie) and is a nice curiosity for Mann fans. If anything, even if I never watch it again, if L.A. Takedown allowed Mann to make Heat, a masterpiece, then I'm grateful that it exists.