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Michael Mann 101: The Director's 4 Greatest Films
Written by Greg McIver. Published: December 20 2014
Recently, the trailer for the
latest Michael Mann film Blackhat made
it’s debut on the world’s stage. Blackhat tells the story
of a dangerous man wreaking havoc upon the world through cyberspace
and the criminal freed from prison in order to stop him. The film
features an impressive cast including Chris “The
God of Thunder” Hemsworth, Viola
Davis, John Ortiz, and relative newcomer Wei Tang.But despite the impressive fire power in
front of the camera, it is the director, Michael Mann, that has me
excited for this latest cyber-caper.
The name Michael Mann might
not carry the same weight as, say, Stevie
Spielberg or Marty Scorsese, but he is a
cinematic force to be reckoned with, I can assure you. In 1981, he
presented to the world his first feature film, Thief,
featuring James Caan, Robert
Prosky, and Dennis Farina. Since then, he
has helmed a number of Hollywood pictures, many of which can stand
alongside some of the greatest movies ever made. So, allow me to
take you on a trip down Memory Lane as I recount to you some of
Michael Mann’s finest work so that you know precisely what you're
getting into with Blackhat.
Heat (1995)
I don’t presume to be able to
accurately describe just how brilliant this film is in only a few
short paragraphs. Aside from it being the first on-screen pairing
between two of the greatest film actors of all time, Al
Pacino and Robert De Niro, “Heat” is one
of the finest crime dramas ever made and carries with it an
enormous scope and an intensely finite examination of its own
characters that either stands up to or dwarfs any film that has
come before or since. In short, it’s one my favorite movies of all
time, and if you haven’t seen it, then you should seek it out
immediately.
Manhunter (1986)
Any Hannibal Lecktor fans out
there? Of course there are, and for the record, the spelling of
Hannibal’s last name in that last sentence was intentional. For
most people, their first introduction to the character of Hannibal
Lector was with the 1991 classic Silence of the Lambs. But
in reality, everyone’s favorite cannibalistic psychiatrist came
onto the film scene back in 1986 in Michael Mann’s adaptation of
the novel Red Dragon (not to be confused with 2002's Red Dragon, which was a remake of Manhunter). Manhunter features an impressive cast that includes William Petersen, Dennis Farina, (a Michael Mann
favorite, apparently), Tom Noonan, and Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor (that is how it’s
spelled in this movie). Manhunter is a cold, analytical,
and absolutely absorbing tale about the hunt for a deranged serial
killer who is seemingly selecting his victims (entire families) at
random. William Petersen plays the O.G. Detective Will Graham
(currently played by Hugh Dancy in NBC's
"Hannibal"), a man with the uncanny ability to understand how the
mind of a psychopath works. His understanding of the deranged
criminal mind was so great that it allowed him to capture Hannibal
the Cannibal, but not without paying a price both mentally and
physically. Manhunter is an incredibly chilling and
fascinating psychological thriller and easily one of Michael Mann’s
best.
The Last of the
Mohicans (1992)
Based on James
Fenimore Cooper’s historical novel of the same name, The Last of the Mohicans is Michael Mann’s first period
piece and one of the finest examples of the term “poetry in motion”
that I can think of. I say this because the movie has such a
powerful forward moving momentum that you cannot help but be swept
away by the drama and the strength of the story. And yet, despite
the energy and the fast pace of the film, the journeys and
evolutions of our lead characters are never ignored as Michael Mann
can deliver large amounts of information with just a movement of
the camera or with one single glance from our players. The film
takes place in the middle of The French and Indian War and tells
the tale of three outsiders (Mohicans) who happen upon an ambush
and rescue the lives of a British colonel’s daughters. The film
stars Daniel Day Lewis as Hawkeye, a colonist who
was raised by the Mohicans when he was abandoned as a child. Mr.
Lewis, of course, delivers a fine performance, as does the rest of
the talented cast that includes Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Wes Studi, and Jodhi May. The Last of the Mohicans is a
beautiful film that I would happily recommend if only for the last
20 minutes alone. Best. Movie. Climax. Ever.
The Insider (1999)
This film is based on the true
story of Jeffrey Wigand, a former chemist who
worked for the tobacco company Brown & Williamson, and how he went
public after being fired to testify to the fact that Big Tobacco
was purposely modifying their cigarettes to make them more
addictive. He is urged to do this by Lowell Bergman, a producer on
the show "60 Minutes", who feels that Wignad’s story is too
important to be sacrificed in the name of greed and complacency.
Michael Mann’s version of these events features Al Pacino as Lowell
Bergman and Russell Crowe as Jeffrey Wigand. First
of all, I’ll say that this is easily my favorite Russell Crowe
performance, and as far as Pacino is concerned, he’s at the top of
his game as well. This intense drama really pulls back the curtain
and shows us a world where one has to fight to bring the truth to
light, even if it means losing everything in the process. Is what
Wigand has to say important? Of course it is, but we live in a
world where corporate agreements and shared business interests have
usurped honesty as being the best policy. And while this film is a
searing look at one of many embarrassing moments in our country’s
history, it is also a heartbreakingly intimate character piece that
details the gauntlet of humiliation and degradation that a good man
must go though in order to be able to look his children in the eye
and tell them that he did the right thing. (Be advised, the below
clip contains adult language and some of the best acting you’ve
ever seen.)
(Photo via Nikki Nelson/WENN)
- Greg McIver, YH Staff