A series of wide angle shots of the HDB skyline looks impressive from a height and distance; these homes only resemble slums when the camera pans to the common corridors and inside those pigeon holes.
IMHO, Heat is one of the most under-rated movies of all time. Could be that people were expecting too much with Pacino and De Niro on screen together for the first time, but it was an extremely good movie, which did not get the credit it deserved.