I suppose that is one way of looking at it. The interesting part for me was that for Pacino and De Niro, it was their job. Outside of their cop/crim role, they were no different (probably Pacino the bigger fudge up). But as De Niro said, the key difference was the fact that when the Heat came, he could cut ties with everything he loved and walk away, whereas Pacino couldn't.
Val Kilmer couldn't, and that's how he got busted. If he could have just left, he'd have been a free man.
Same with that scene where they're staking out the jewellery store (??) and they hear the noise. De Niro walks away. He's clinical and that's why he's so good and gets to fudge judging Amy.
It's also got an all-star cast. The afforementioned legends of modern cinema (De Niro, Pacino, Skinny Kilmer, Sizemore - not Madsen) and Judging Amy, it also has Henry Rollins, Natalie Portman, Danny Trejo, the banker from the first scene of Dark Knight, Tone Loc, Jon Voight and Ari fudging Gold.
I really need to watch it again and remember why I like it so much.