#SHOWBIZ: Heat director Mann accidentally shoots self at gun range

LOS ANGELES: Michael Mann, the acclaimed director of crime classics "Heat" and "Collateral," accidentally shot himself at a gun range in Los Angeles, resulting in minor injuries, a statement released on Sunday said.

"On Saturday, at a gun range, a weapon accidentally discharged while holstered resulting in a superficial injury to film director Michael Mann. He was treated and is being released," a representative of the filmmaker said in a statement.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that they had responded to a "shots fired" incident around 4pm local time and that the shooting was "determined to be accidental."

Mann, 83, is said to be an experienced target shooter and is known for the intense and realistic gunplay in his movies, many of which are staples of the crime thriller genre.

He has directed an array of well-known films, including "Thief," "The Last of the Mohicans," "Public Enemies," "The Insider" and "Ali."

But he is perhaps best known for "Heat," which pitted Robert De Niro playing a master criminal against Al Pacino's police officer in a taut thriller.

The film's iconic final scene sees Pacino stalking De Niro in the dark beside an airport runway, both men with their guns drawn.--AFP