Amy Brenneman

I agree that the chemistry between Neil and Eady left a lot to be desired. That said, despite this flaw, as it were, when viewing the film from a subtextual level, all of the scenes and decisions involving Neil make sense.

There is a lot of contention involving how out of character it was for Neil to go to the hotel and kill Waingro when he could have escaped and, had he really wanted, disposed of Waingro at a later date once Neil's own safety had been secured. He had the contact with Nate. He had the money. Why do such a thing?

To answer this, I believe it is important to consider what Michael Mann himself said in an interview/podcast, titled: One Heat Minute. Because Neil becomes emotionalized through Eady, the allure of killing Waingro becomes a serious consideration, despite the audience knowing full well how poor of an idea it is. In the sequence under the tunnel, this fact becomes evident, and instead of following his cultivated disposition, Neil defaults to his base instincts. When Vincent spots Neil walking toward the car, there is a moment of bewilderment and sudden revelation as he sees Eady slowly rise from the car. When Vincent sees Eady, he understands why Neil is there in the first place: Neil’s cerebral nature, once a homogenous and undiluted mixture, has now become heterogeneous with inclination.

As the female influence has taken hold of Neil, he is no longer functioning as the perfect distillation of objectivity and professionalism. Note the beginning scene as Neil is looking out of his window toward the ocean. The frame shows his back, symbolically accentuating the phrase, "do not get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out in 30 seconds flat." This highlights Neil's maxim, and how willing he is to truly leave should there be heat. In the latter portion of the film, as Neil tells Eady that there is no point in leaving without her, there is a similar scene juxtaposition occurring, only this time we only see half of his back, highlighting that Neil is now encumbered, more or less, by Eady. He now hesitates, just as he hesitated when he left the hotel to walk back to Eady.

In a profession where degrees matter, it does not cross the audiences mind that had Neil not hesitated while staring over at Eady for those 8-10 seconds, perhaps he would have escaped as well.