Based on the 1980s TV series by Anthony Yerkovich, Miami Vice is the story of two Miami police detectives who go undercover to deal with a drug dealer and drug trafficking that is happening in and out of Miami. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Mann, the film is a suspense-action thriller that follows two detectives who embark on a case that becomes highly dangerous as they also go into different paths to stop this drug dealer. Starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Justin Theroux, Gong Li, Naomie Harris, Ciaran Hinds, Barry Shabaka Henley, Luis Tosar, John Hawkes, Eddie Marsan, and John Ortiz. Miami Vice is an evocative and gripping film from Michael Mann.
The film is about two detectives from Miami who help the FBI by going undercover as drug runners to meet with a drug lord over drug trafficking in and out of Miami as it explores a dark culture of drugs and crime. It’s a film with a simple premise yet Michael Mann doesn’t go for anything simple in terms of the execution in his screenplay as it explore the life of these two detective in James “Sonny” Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) as they both seen at the film’s opening sequence trying to nab a pimp until they get a call from one of their informants over an attempted bust gone bad. After meeting with FBI agent John Fujima (Ciaran Hinds), Crockett and Tubbs agree to help him nab drug cartel security official Jose Yero (John Ortiz) who is trying to continue his drug trafficking ring from Colombia and into the U.S for his boss Arcangel de Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar).
Mann’s script play into the life that Crockett and Tubbs have as they often do jobs with other cops led by their superior Lt. Martin Castillo (Barry Shabaka Henley) while Tubbs is in a relationship with one of fellow detectives in Trudy Joplin (Naomie Harris). During their undercover work, Crockett meets Montoya’s financial adviser/lover Isabella (Gong Li) whom he would fall for as they begin an affair that eventually leads to trouble. Especially as they learn about what Montoya and Yero are doing and who they’re working with to get the drugs into the U.S. as it complicates matter including putting Crockett and Tubbs’ fellow detectives in danger.
Mann’s direction definitely has some elements of style yet also has this low-key approach into the presentation as it opens at a nightclub where Crockett, Tubbs, Joplin, and other detectives are set to bust a pimp as it goes straight into the action and not waste time. Shot on various locations including Miami as well as other locations in Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of South Florida, and on various Caribbean islands, Mann creates a world where drug trafficking feels like the norm with these gorgeous wide shots of the sea and Miami skylines at night along with shots of the jungles and other places the character go to. Mann’s usage of aerial shots and scenes set on the sea on speed boats and planes also help establish this world while he also makes Miami as a character in the film but not as this vibrant locale that is filled with parties and excitement. Instead, he aims for something far darker and grittier as much of the scenes in Miami are shot at night with few scenes shot in the day as Mann prefers to showcase few of the cities famous sites in favor of just using it as a backdrop and go into parts of the city that not many are aware of.
Mann’s usage of close-ups and medium shots help play into the interaction with the characters but also in the suspense that include a showdown between a group of rednecks and the Miami PD where Detective Gina Calabrese (Elizabeth Rodriguez) is shown in a close-up with fierce intensity as she knows whether the person who wants to kill everyone really can do it but she knows he’s bluffing as she is intent on putting a bullet in his head. Mann also knows when to break from the action as it play into the persona lives of Crockett and Tubbs with the former engaging into this affair with Isabella that would eventually cause trouble. The climatic showdown between the Miami PD and Yero’s men is bloody as there is this great build up to the suspense in the medium shots and close-ups to capture all of the action and violence that is thrilling and dangerous. Especially in what is at stake while the ending is filled with ambiguity into the fates of a few characters but also the reality of the drug culture and what some do to survive. Overall, Mann crafts an intoxicating yet visceral film about the life and work of two Miami police detectives going undercover to stop a drug lord’s empire.
Cinematographer Dion Beebe does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as it is shot largely on digital video to capture some of the grimy look of the city as well as some of the vibrancy in the hand-held shots as well as not aim for anything overtly stylized in favor of something low-key and realistic. Editors William Goldenberg and Paul Rubell do excellent work with the film’s editing as it has some stylish usage of jump-cuts as it also play into some unconventional rhythms in the cutting to play into the suspense and drama. Production designer Victor Kempster, with set decorator Jim Erickson plus art directors Carlos Menendez and Seth Reed, does brilliant work with the look of the some of the homes of the Miami PD’s informers as well as the lavish home of Montoya and the casino that Yero runs. Costume designers Michael Kaplan and Janty Yates do fantastic work with some of the stylish clothes that Crockett and Tubbs wear when they go undercover as well as the posh designer clothes that Isabella wears.
Special effects makeup artists Jake Garber and Harrison Lorenzana do superb work with the look of a few characters during some of the film’s violent moments as well as the look of the Aryan gang that work with Yero. Special effects supervisor Rick Thompson and visual effects supervisor Robert Staad do terrific work with visual/special effects as it help play into the action along with some bits of set-dressing in some of the visual effects. Sound designers Elliott Koretz and Tak Ogawa do amazing work with the sound in capturing the sounds of gunfire, boat engines, and the atmosphere of the locations as it help play into the suspense and intrigue that is rampant throughout the film. The film’s music by John Murphy is wonderful for its somber and ambient-based score with some pulsating electronic-based themes that help add to the suspense while music supervisor Vicki Hiatt provides a nice music soundtrack that feature a mixture of ambient, hip-hop, rock, soul, Latin music, and electronic music from Goldfrapp, Audioslave, India.Arie, Mogwai, Nina Simone, Moby with Patti LaBelle, King Britt, Linkin Park w/ Jay-Z, and Emilio Estefan as well as an awful cover of Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight by Nonpoint.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and performances from Isaach de Bankole as a pimp Crockett and Tubbs try to nab early in the film, Eddie Marsan as an informant who gives the Miami PD some information, Tom Towles as an American dealer in Nicholas who is aligned with a group of Aryan drug dealers, Domenick Lombardozzi and Justin Theroux in their respective roles as Miami detectives in Stan Switek and Larry Zito who help Crockett and Tubbs with their work, Elizabeth Rodriguez as Detective Gina Calabrese who is a no-nonsense woman that is also dangerous but reliable, John Hawkes as an informant in Alonzo Stevens who calls Crockett and Tubbs early in the film as he makes a chilling discovery that puts him in trouble, and Luis Tosar in a terrific performance as the drug lord Arcangel de Jesus Montoya who runs an empire and wants to control all of Miami. Ciaran Hinds is superb as FBI agent John Fujima as a man who had accidentally ruined Crockett and Tubbs’ case early in the film as he decides to help them to try and stop Montoya despite his dislike towards them.
Barry Shabaka Henley is fantastic as Lt. Martin Castillo as Crockett and Tubbs’ superior who is the mediator between them and Fujima as well as being someone who is aware of what is going on as well as be a father figure of sorts for the team. John Ortiz is excellent as Montoya’s security agent Jose Yero as a man that at first is believed to run an empire yet is someone who watches over Montoya’s drugs and shipments while is also someone extremely dangerous as he grows suspicious towards Crockett and Tubbs. Naomie Harris is brilliant as Detective Trudy Joplin as a detective who also gathers intelligence and information for others while is also Tubbs’ lover as she grounds him while she deals with her own troubles as a detective. Gong Li is amazing as Isabella as Montoya’s financial adviser/lover who works with Crockett and Tubbs only to engage into an affair with the former that eventually becomes troublesome as she copes with falling for Crockett but also handling business for Montoya and Yero.
Finally, there’s the duo of Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx in incredible performances in their respective roles as James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs. Both Farrell and Foxx bring a grounded and reserved approach to their characters with Farrell being a bit more dangerous once Crockett has an affair with Isabella making Tubbs uneasy. Foxx is more no-nonsense but is also someone who can do negotiations the right way and win over dealers through his charm and wit. Farrell and Foxx also provide that air of toughness to their characters when it comes to doing their jobs as they both provide the grittiness that the characters needed for the film.
Miami Vice is an incredible film from Michael Mann that features top-notch leading performances from Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, Dion Bebe’s gorgeous photography, emphasis on realism, and John Murphy’s intoxicating score. The film is definitely a low-key yet more reserved approach to the suspense-drama and detective film while not aiming to be a direct remake/homage to the TV series with Mann wanting to do something entirely different yet engaging. In the end, Miami Vice is a remarkable film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief (1981 film) - (The Keep) – Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Ali - Collateral - Public Enemies - Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie, Collateral is the story of a cab driver who is forced by a hitman to drive him to destinations around Los Angeles to kill various targets during the night. The film is a suspense-thriller that play into a cab driver who is given a troubling night as he deals with the danger of taking a hitman to kill people leading to chaos and violence. Starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Irma P. Hall, Bruce McGill, and Javier Bardem. Collateral is a riveting and entrancing film from Michael Mann.
Taking place in the span of nearly 12 hours in Los Angeles, a cab driver is forced by a hitman to drive him to various locations in the city where he is to kill four key witnesses and prosecutor for the man who hired him. It’s a film that explores a cab driver’s awful night as he endures a journey of darkness as he has to accompany this man to destinations as he is there to kill and that is it. Stuart Beattie’s screenplay follows Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) who is a cab driver with a meticulous personality that works part-time as a cab driver hoping to raise enough money to start a limousine business where one of his first clients is a prosecutor in Annie Farrell (Jada Pinkett Smith) whom he converses with as it leads to a brief sense of attraction. Then he meets Vincent (Tom Cruise) who asks to go to this destination and then a body falls onto Max’s cab as it begins a hellish night as Vincent is a professional who carries a list as he does whatever he can to kill making Max uneasy.
Vincent is a mysterious character who can be charming one minute and then ruthless the next minute where Max gets a close look at Vincent’s work and through the trail of bodies he left behind. The script also play into these conversations between Vincent and Max where there is a unique dynamic between the two as the latter knows he’s not in control but is eager to get out. Even as Vincent’s killings would attract the attention of the police including LAPD detective Ray Fanning (Mark Ruffalo) who believes something is up as one of his witnesses had been killed knowing it’s a professional hit. Once the story progresses and body count pile up, Max would do drastic means to stop Vincent from killing more only for things to get more complicated where Max is forced by Vincent to meet up with the man who hired Vincent in Mexican drug lord in Felix Reyes-Torrena (Javier Bardem) who would only raise more suspicion as Max realizes he’s in a far darker world that is not prepared for.
Michael Mann’s direction is astonishing in terms of the visuals he creates as it is shot largely on high-definition digital video with the exception of a nightclub scene shot on 35mm film. Shot on location in Los Angeles which is a character in the film, Mann displays this air of grit into his compositions where he would use a lot of wide and aerial shots to capture so much attention to detail as well as where Max’s cab is at in a certain location. Still, much of the direction is set inside the cab throughout the film where Mann maintains that intimacy through the close-ups and medium shots as well as in the different locations that Max has to take Vincent to. The scenes of violence are brutal though some of it occur off-screen yet there’s one violent scene that is brutal as it relates more to Max’s reaction and how close he is to the violence. Mann’s direction definitely play into this air of cinema verite with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as maintaining this air of realism into the direction.
Mann also creates this air of tension as it relates to the trail of bodies that Vincent leaves behind as detectives, FBI agents, and others go on the case to find out what is going on. The nightclub scene before the film’s third act where a witness is at is among one of the most suspenseful moments in the film as it shows how ruthless Vincent is in his pursuit. The third act is about the final target and what Max is willing to do to protect that person as well as realizing what kind of person Vincent really is. It’s among the most thrilling sequences ever captured on film as Mann uses the locations and compositions to help play into the stakes of a man who is having a bad night. Overall, Mann crafts a visceral yet evocative film about a cab driver being forced to drive a hitman to various destination on a dark night in Los Angeles.
Cinematographers Dion Bebe and Paul Cameron do brilliant work with the film’s digital video photography with Bebe doing much of the work to play into its sense of grit and crudeness but also in some gorgeous imagery for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editors Jim Miller and Paul Rubell do amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer David Wasco, with set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and art director Daniel T. Dorrance, does fantastic work with the look of some of the places that Max and Vincent go including a few clubs as well as the nightclub for one of the film’s big shootouts. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does terrific work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward that includes the grey suit that Vincent wears.
Prosthetic/special effects makeup artist Matthew W. Mungle, along with special makeup effects artists Jake Garber, Cleve Gunderman, Jamie Kelman, and Bart Mixon plus prosthetic makeup artist Wesley Wofford, does excellent work with the look of Vincent with his hair as well as the look of a few characters. Visual effects supervisor Robert Stadd does some fine work with the visual effects as it is mainly set dressing for a few shots in the city. Sound designer Elliott Koretz does superb work with the sound to help play into the atmosphere of what it sounds like inside a cab or at a club as well as how music is heard on a certain location. The film’s music by James Newton Howard is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that has elements of electronic ambient music that help play into the unsettling tone of the film while music supervisor Vicki Hiatt creates a soundtrack that feature some additional score pieces from Antonio Pinto plus music from the Roots with Cody Chesnutt, Groove Armada, Calexico, Tom Rothrock, Green Car Motel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Miles Davis, Paul Oakenfold, and Audioslave.
The casting by Francine Maisler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jason Statham as a man Vincent bumps into at the airport early in the film, Bohdi Elfman and Debi Mazar as a couple that Max picks up, the trio of Angelo Tiffe, Thomas Rosales Jr., and Inmo Yuon as Vincent’s targets, Richard T. Jones and Jamie McBride as a couple of traffic cops, Steven Kozlowski as a mugger trying to mug Max, Klea Scott as a FBI official, Emilio Rivera as a bodyguard of Felix, and Javier Bardem in a terrific one-scene appearance as the Mexican drug lord Felix Reyes-Torrena. Barry Shabka Henley is superb as the jazz musician Daniel Baker whom Vincent and Max sees as he’s performing at a club as he talks to them about Miles Davis while Irma P. Hall is fantastic as Max’s mother Ida who is ailing at the hospital as she is concerned about Max’s future while finding herself in an odd conversation with Vincent.
Bruce McGill is excellent as the FBI agent Frank Pedrosa who is spying on Felix as he believes he is involved with these killings while Peter Berg is wonderful as Fanning’s partner Richard Weidner who follows the trail of bodies though he isn’t sure it’s all connected to Felix. Mark Ruffalo is brilliant as detective Ray Fanning as someone who learns that one of his witnesses had been killed as he is aware of what is going on as he also believes that there is a lot more to meet the eye prompting him to find Max and protect him. Jada Pinkett Smith is amazing as Annie Farrell as a prosecutor Max meets early in the film in his cab as they converse about a few things including Farrell’s job as she would also take part in the film’s climatic third act as it relates to the case she’s involved in.
Jamie Foxx is phenomenal as Max Durocher as a cab driver who would have the worst night of his life as he is forced to accompany a hitman to various destinations where Foxx maintains a restraint as well as being this uneasy observer who is troubled by what he sees as he and Cruise do have great rapport to play into the tension and drama. Finally, there’s Tom Cruise in a tremendous performance as Vincent as a mysterious hitman who is ruthless in his pursuit of targets but is also a professional that is good at his job and is intent on finishing as it’s a dark yet riveting performance from Cruise.
Collateral is a spectacular film from Michael Mann that features great performances from Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, eerie visuals, a gripping music soundtrack, top-tier editing, and a broad sound design. The film is definitely a suspense-thriller that takes a simple premise and amp it up in its exploration of a hitman forcing a cab driver to take him to destinations in Los Angeles so that he can kill some people. In the end, Collateral is a sensational film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief (1981 film) - (The Keep) – Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Ali - Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) - Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann, Eric Roth, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson from a story by Gregory Allen Howard, Ali is the story of 10 years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali from his first world title win in 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The film is a look into a moment in time when Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay Jr. and the moments in his life that would make him an icon as he is portrayed by Will Smith. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Toney, and Jon Voight as Howard Cosell. Ali is a majestic and evocative film from Michael Mann.
The film is about a decade in the life of one of the most iconic figures in sports during the 20th Century in Muhammad Ali from his first title win against Sonny Liston in February 25, 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974. During this time, Ali would convert to Islam and change his name from Cassius Clay Jr. to Ali while enduring all sorts of events in that time such as refusing to serve the U.S. army during the Vietnam War, failed marriages, and losing his first fight to Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century on March 8, 1971. The film is really an exploration of a man trying to adopt this new identity having dropped his birth name which he felt had been given to him and his family by slave masters and take on something new. The film’s script play into these events that include his friendship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) and how it ended due to the interference of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (Albert Hall).
His devotion to the Nation of Islam would also alienate his family and play part into the decisions of his career as one of his wives in Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali (Nona Gaye) doesn’t think the Nation of Islam, Elijah’s son Herbert (Barry Shabaka Henley), and Don King (Mykelti T. Williamson) have his best interests. Much of the film’s narrative is straightforward with some subplots involving people that Ali know being followed by a CIA official in Joe Smiley (Ted Levine) as they would believe Ali is a threat to national security as it would also show events behind the scenes such as a meeting between Don King, Herbert Muhammad, and politicians from Europe and Africa wanting to use Ali just as he is considered a messianic figure in Africa.
Michael Mann’s direction is stylish not just for its presentation with its mixture of 35mm film and grainy digital video but also in capturing a period of time when Ali was to ascend into this iconic status that would make him a polarizing figure in the world. Shot on various locations in the U.S. such as New York City, Chicago, and Miami and Mozambique as Zaire and Ghana. Mann displays a somewhat documentary-style much of his direction as it play into this world that Ali would encounter from his visits to Africa as well as struggling with the events in America around him. There are usage of wide shots of the locations as well as the venues where Ali would have his fights while he aims mainly for some intimate usage of close-ups that play into Ali’s emotions as well as aspects of his personal life that is also presented in medium shots. The usage of the grainy digital video for an opening scene of Ali jogging in Los Angeles as well as him looking at a riot as well as a love scene with a future wife in Sonji Roi (Jada Pinkett Smith).
The fight scenes are among the major highlights of the film with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as point-of-view shots of what the fighter is facing inside the ring and the punches he would get from his opponent. It’s an element of realism that isn’t seen often in films relating to boxing as well as Mann’s direction gets very close into the brutality of boxing. Even as it show Ali as someone trying to mock his opponents as well as fight them with an intelligence and showmanship. Mann’s direction also play into the reaction of the people as well as showing lots of attention to detail in the direction of the people in Ali’s corner observing what Ali is doing. It’s Mann playing into a world where men fought to become the best and for a man like Ali to use boxing as a platform for hope and change. Overall, Mann crafts a riveting and intoxicating film about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali.
Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does incredible work with the film’s photography as it’s a highlight of the film with its usage of naturalistic and slightly-tinted colors and moods in the lighting as well as the grainy look of the digital video footage as well as the way the camera moves. Editors William Goldenberg, Lynzee Klingman, Stephen E. Rivkin, and Stuart Waks do excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion shots, and other stylish editing play into the drama as well as the thrill of the fights. Production designer John Myhre, with set decorator Jim Erickson plus art directors Jonathan Lee, Bill Rea, and Tomas Voth, does brilliant work with the sets from the hotel rooms that and homes that Ali lived in to the design of some of the venues and rings that Ali would fight in. Costume designer Marlene Stewart does amazing work with the costumes from the clothes that men wore in those times as well as the stylish dresses and Muslim garb the women would wear.
Special makeup effects artists Greg Cannom and Christopher Allen Nelson do fantastic work with the look of Howard Cosell as well as some of the prosthetics and hair for some of the characters. Special effects supervisors Alan Poole and Max Poolman, with visual effects supervisor Michael J. McAlister, do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing but also in parts that relate to the fights. Sound editors Yann Delpuech, Darren King, and Gregory King do superb work with the sound in how punches are thrown as well as the atmosphere of the audiences during the fights as well as some sounds in some of the locations. The film’s music by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard is wonderful for its minimalist and ambient-based score with its usage of polyrhythms and other world beat musical textures while the music soundtrack feature a lot of the music of the times from the Pointer Sisters, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan plus contemporary pieces from Alicia Keys and Moby.
The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles from Victoria Dillard as Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz, Malick Bowens as Zaire’s president Joseph Mobutu, David Elliott as singer Sam Cooke in the film’s opening credits scene, Shari Watson/Truth Hurts as a club singer, Ted Levine as CIA agent Joe Smiley, Leon Robinson as a Nation of Islam official in Brother Joe, David Haynes as Ali’s brother Rudy Clay/Rahman Ali, Robert Sale as boxer Jerry Quarry, Candy Ann Brown as Ali’s mother Odessa Clay, Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston, David Cubitt as journalist Robert Lipsyte, Charles Shufford as George Foreman, LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King Jr., Bruce McGill as a European political figure, Joe Morton as Ali’s attorney Chauncey Eskridge, Giancarlo Esposito as Ali’s father Cassius Clay Sr., Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad, and Albert Brown as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad,
Other noteworthy small roles from Nona Gaye as Ali’s second wife Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali who is concerned about the people Ali is with, Paul Rodriguez as Ali’s ring physician Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, and Michael Michele as Ali’s future third wife in journalist Veronica Porche whom he would meet in Zaire are wonderful in their brief roles as is Jada Pinkett Smith in a terrific performance as Ali’s first wife Sonji Roi as a woman who many in the Nation of Islam felt was unsuitable for him. James Toney and Mykelti T. Williamson are superb in their respective roles as the fighter Joe Frazier who offers Ali a shot at the title and the infamous promoter Don King who is trying to hype up the event and make a lot of money. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as photographer Howard Bingham who would be Ali’s biographer and personal photographer who would follow Ali as well as be an observer to the events in Ali’s life.
Ron Silver is excellent as Angelo Dundee as Ali’s trainer who is focused on what Ali is doing in the ring as well as ensure that Ali has a good strategy for every fight as he’s like a father figure to Ali. Mario Van Peebles is brilliant as Malcolm X as the famed civil rights leader and Nation of Islam speaker who is a close friend of Ali as he would later go on his own path where he tries to maintain his friendship with Ali. Jamie Foxx is amazing as Drew Bundini Brown as Ali’s longtime assistant/cornerman who would help Ali come up with his famous rhymes as well as be someone that Ali can trust with on personal matters or on business matters despite his own personal issues. Jon Voight is incredible as famed sports reporter Howard Cosell as Voight would get Cosell’s famous voice right on as well as be the man trying to get answers from Ali as well as be a close friend of the boxer. Finally, there’s Will Smith in a phenomenal performance as Muhammad Ali as he channels the man’s bombastic personality in the press conferences as well as the man’s public persona as being cocky but also a man who can talk the talk and walk the walk but also display the humanity in Ali as a man struggling with his identity and the persona he has created for himself.
Ali is a sensational film from Michael Mann that features a career-defining performance from Will Smith as the legendary boxer. Along with its ensemble cast, Emmanuel Lubezki’s gorgeous cinematography, rapturous music soundtrack, and its exploration about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of the bio-pic as it focuses on key events of the man’s life as well as the world around him. In the end, Ali is a spectacular film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief - (The Keep) – Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies - Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the non-fiction novel Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-1934 by Bryan Burrough, Public Enemies is the story of the final year of bank robber John Dillinger that features his relationship with Billie Frechette as well as being pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis. Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann, Ronan Bennett, and Ann Biderman, the film is look into the final years of Dillinger’s life as well as the manhunt lead by Purvis as Dillinger is portrayed by Johnny Depp and Purvis is portrayed by Christian Bale. Also starring Marion Cotillard, Stephen Dorff, Channing Tatum, Jason Clarke, David Wenham, Lili Taylor, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang, and Billy Crudup J. Edgar Hoover. Public Enemies is a riveting and intense film from Michael Mann.
Set from 1933 to 1934 during the Great Depression, the film is about the final year of John Dillinger who was notorious for robbing banks as he is being pursued by Melvin Purvis upon the formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation led by J. Edgar Hoover. It’s a film that explores what some considered to be the golden age of bank robberies with gangsters robbing places left and right with no one to challenge them until the formation of the FBI where Hoover hires Purvis to hunt Dillinger after Purvis had taken down another gangster in Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum). The film’s screenplay by Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman, and Michael Mann has a unique structure where much of its first half is about Dillinger’s success in robbing banks but also not killing innocent people as he maintains a folklore persona for robbing banks and helping people in need.
It is also around this time he would meet Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) who would become his girlfriend as the relationship would be something Dillinger cherishes. Yet, Frechette would be the key to Purvis in trying to find Dillinger as the film’s second half is about Dillinger’s fall where he would get captured and later break out of prison only to learn that members of his gang are scattered with a few he can rely but also other gangsters who play by different rules. It would force Dillinger to rely more on Frechette and hide but also know that Purvis is determined to capture him and bring him to justice. It is a film that does play into a world that is changing where criminals used to have ideas and rules in what they have to do but power eventually becomes misused leading to people of power from the government to handle matters.
Mann’s direction is stylish in its approach to hand-held cameras to capture the action as well as shooting the film on high-definition digital video instead of the traditional 35mm where the look of the film has a crudeness in some of its movements and scenes where the camera shakes. It adds to its offbeat look where it gets a lot of detail in the visuals yet it does feel jarring at times as it is a step away from the norm expected in a gangster film. Shot on various locations in Columbus, Wisconsin as well as various towns in Illinois and Wisconsin along with parts of Chicago and Milwaukee. Along with actual locations where Dillinger did some of his robberies, Mann would maintain an air of grittiness to the visuals as well as use flares for scenes at night that play into the suspense and drama. Even as Mann would use wide shots not just in getting a scope of the locations but also in scenes where some of Purvis’ men are hiding to see where Dillinger could be as well as the scene early in the film where Purvis goes after Pretty Boy Floyd.
Mann’s usage of close-ups and medium shots also add to the drama and suspense where it does play into some of the situations that Dillinger and Purvis put themselves through as well as the exchanges they have with other characters. While there are some dramatic liberties in the film that relate to some of the people Dillinger meet like Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) as well as when Pretty Boy Floyd was killed. Mann does use the rise-and-fall narrative of Dillinger that play into a man who is considered a folk hero yet just wants to have money and have a good time but is aware that time is running out for him. The film’s climax is all about the locations and geography where Mann takes great care into the events that would mark an end of an era for the world of the gangsters and the emergence of a new world order. Overall, Mann crafts a gripping and rapturous film about the final year in the life of John Dillinger and the manhunt led by Melvin Purvis.
Cinematographer Dante Spinotti does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in its approach to low-key lighting and the usage of available light to get a grittiness of the film though it does have that crude look expected from digital video that is jarring at times. Editors Paul Rubell and Jeffrey Ford do brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg plus art directors Patrick Lumb and William Ladd Skinner, does amazing work with the look of some of the places re-created including restaurants, houses, and other places the characters go to. Costume designer Colleen Atwood does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish dresses that the women wore including Billie’s fur coat and the suits the men wore in those times.
Special effects supervisor Bruno Van Zeebroeck and visual effects supervisor Robert Stadd do terrific work with some of the special effects that relate to the action along with a few set-dressing pieces in the visual effects. Sound editors Laurent Kossayan and Jeremy Peirson do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sounds of gunfire and sirens that add to the suspense. The film’s music by Elliot Goldenthal is wonderful for its bombastic string arrangements that add to the drama and suspense to play into the grandeur of Purvis’ manhunt while music supervisors Bob Badami, Bruce Fowler, and Kathy Nelson create a soundtrack that features a lot of the music of the times ranging from jazz, blues, ragtime, and pop that would become standards of the time.
The casting by Avy Kaufman and Bonnie Timmermann is great as it feature some notable small roles from Matt Craven as FBI agent Gerry Campbell, Carey Mulligan as a young woman in Carol Slayman who provides Dillinger and his gang a hideout, Leelee Sobieski as Dillinger’s date Polly Hamilton on the night of his death, Branka Katic as another date of Dillinger in Anna Sage on that night, Emile de Ravin as a girlfriend of one of Dillinger’s friends, Bill Camp as the gangster Frank Nitti who refuses to help Dillinger during the second half to cover their bookkeeping scheme, John Ortiz and Domenick Lombardozzi as a couple of Nitti’s men, Giovanni Ribisi as a gangster in Alvin Karpis, Lili Taylor as Sheriff Lillian Holley whose prison would hold Dillinger for a while, David Wenham and Spencer Garrett as two of Dillinger’s men in their respective roles as Harry Pierpont and Tommy Carroll, and Michael Bentt as the prisoner Herbert Youngblood who helped Dillinger break out of prison during the second half.
Jason Clarke and Stephen Dorff are terrific in their respective roles as Red Hamilton and Homer Van Meter as a couple of Dillinger’s associates who are among his closest allies with Clarke being the closest of the two who helps him escape and handle small matters while Dorff is the getaway driver who also knows what not to do. Stephen Graham is superb as Baby Face Nelson as a gangster who is violent and unruly as he is the kind of person Dillinger is reluctant to associate himself with while Channing Tatum is fantastic in his brief one-scene performance as Pretty Boy Floyd as a young gangster who gets gunned down by Purvis. Stephen Lang is excellent as the Texas Ranger Charles Winstead as the man who would kill Dillinger as he is also someone that is a man of principle and honor where he helps Purvis in pursuing Dillinger. Billy Crudup is brilliant as J. Edgar Hoover as Dillinger’s supervisor who is the public face of the FBI whom he’s just started as he ensures America that the world of crime will end.
Marion Cotillard is incredible as Billie Frechette as the woman who would be the love of Dillinger’s life in his final year as she would learn about who he is and would help him while unknowingly be used as bait to get him where it’s a performance that has Cotillard display a toughness as well as gracefulness that isn’t expected in characters that play a certain type. Christian Bale is marvelous as Melvin Purvis as a FBI agent who is tasked to pursue Dillinger with different methods as he is a cunning and cautious man that just wants to put Dillinger behind bars but is also someone that wants to do what is right where he later finds himself not agreeing with Hoover’s ideals. Finally, there’s Johnny Depp in a phenomenal performance as John Dillinger as the famed bank robber who likes to steal money and live a good life but is also someone that doesn’t kill unless it is necessary as it’s a low-key yet charismatic performance from Depp who displays charm as well as a melancholia as it relates to Dillinger’s fall.
Public Enemies is a remarkable film from Michael Mann that features great performances from Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillard. Along with its ensemble cast, high-octane action, gritty presentation, and sumptuous music soundtrack, it’s a film is intense while play into the thrill of a period in time that was dangerous. Though its presentation is flawed due to the jarring visuals in the high-definition digital, it is still a film expected from Mann in its approach to showcasing the world of the gangsters during the Great Depression. In the end, Public Enemies is an awesome film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief - (The Keep) – Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Ali – Collateral – Miami Vice – Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, Manhunter is the story of a FBI profiler who comes out of retirement to find a serial killer and capture him while dealing with his own past and demons relating to another serial killer he had captured years ago. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Mann, the film is a suspense-thriller that has a man trying to find a killer and his approach to murder as he also has to get help from the man who had been haunting him for much of his life. Starring William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Dennis Farina, Stephen Lang, Tom Noonan, and Brian Cox as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor. Manhunter is a riveting and eerie film from Michael Mann.
The film revolves around a FBI profiler who is coaxed out of retirement to find a serial killer as he tries to understand what the killer is doing while still reeling from past demons relating to capturing another serial killer in Dr. Hannibal Lecktor. It’s a film that is more about a man trying to understand what this killer is doing after he had killed a couple of families in Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta while is aware that the killer is trying to play mind games on him. Michael Mann’s screenplay is a character study of sorts as it relates to the FBI profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) who had retired a few years ago after capturing Dr. Lecktor where he later had a mental breakdown that lead to his retirement. It was friend and fellow FBI agent Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina) who asked Graham to come out of retirement due to a series of murders as Graham reluctantly agree as a promise to his wife Molly (Kim Greist) to not be involved in any action other than examine.
Graham’s method in trying to see what a killer is thinking and how he would approach things added to his mental breakdown as he would turn to Dr. Lecktor for advice which would only make things worse as Graham is trying to maintain his sanity. The killer known as the Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan) because of the bite marks he would leave on his victims wouldn’t be seen until the film’s second half as he is revealed to be an admirer of Dr. Lecktor’s work as a reporter in Freddy Lounds (Stephen Lang) would complicate things for Graham who would use Lounds to lure the Tooth Fairy with Graham choosing to be bait. Yet, the Tooth Fairy is a man that is entranced by certain details and has a hard time coping with reality leading to an eventual showdown between him and Graham.
Mann’s direction is definitely stylish for some of the visual presentation he creates in a film that is more about a man trying to understand a killer rather than go after him in a frantic manhunt. Shot on various locations in Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington D.C., and parts of Alabama, the film does play into an investigation that is filled with intrigue but also uncertainty into what is happening as two of the murders happened in Atlanta and Birmingham where Mann uses the locations to help play into the atmosphere along with these family home movies of the victims. While Mann uses wide shots to establish some of the locations as well as the attention to detail in the home of the Tooth Fairy. Much of his direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots to get some of the details into what Graham is trying to look for. Notably in the camera movements where Graham would go into the homes of the victims to see how the Tooth Fairy might’ve done his murders as well as the surroundings outside of the house for clues.
The scenes with Dr. Lecktor are very low-key and intimate where even though the character only appears in three scenes in the film. He does make a chilling impression as someone that feels vindicated that he’s managed to make Graham uneasy but is willing to help him to see who is trying to copy him which adds to the dark nature of the film. There aren’t many moments in the film that are violent other than the killing of a few characters and its climax involving the Tooth Fairy, a blind woman named Reba McClaine (Joan Allen), and Graham. Still, Mann maintains that need to understand what the Tooth Fairy is doing and where he might be just as the man seems to be finding a sense of normalcy only to deal with the realities of the world and what he must do. Overall, Mann creates a gripping and evocative film about a FBI profiler trying to catch a killer and understand his methods without trying to lose his sanity.
Cinematographer Dante Spinotti does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as it is infused with style with some bluish filters for a few scenes at night involving Graham and his wife along with the usage of green lights to play into the world of the Tooth Fairy as well as exterior scenes at night including its climax with stylish approach to lighting. Editor Dov Hoenig does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion freeze-frame shots, and other stylish cuts that play into the suspense. Production designer Mel Bourne and art director Jack Blackman do amazing work with the look of the Tooth Fairy’s home as well as the offices and home that Graham and his family live in. Costume designer Colleen Atwood does nice work with the costumes as it is mainly straightforward that include some of the clothes that the Tooth Fairy wears including his disguise which has an element of dark humor.
Special makeup designers John Caglione Jr. and Doug Drexler do terrific work with the look of the Tooth Fairy as it has this creepiness to who he really is. Special effects supervisor Joe Digaetano does wonderful work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects that play into a dream sequence of Graham seeing one of the victims. Sound editor Robert R. Rutledge does superb work with the sound in creating an atmosphere as well as capturing sound for tape recorders and other effects that help add to the suspense. The film’s music by Michel Rubini and the Reds is brilliant for its electronic-based score with some ambient textures and eerie synthesizer arrangements that add to the drama and suspense with a few songs from the Prime Movers, Red 7, and Shriekback to add to some of the drama as well as a chilling usage of Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida for its climax.
The casting by Bonnie Timmerman is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Paul Perri as Dr. Sidney Bloom who is concerned about Graham’s mental condition, David Seaman as Will and Molly’s son Kevin Graham who would ask his father about what happened to him and Dr. Lecktor, Frankie Faison as a St. Louis police lieutenant, Chris Elliott as a FBI official, and Benjamin Hendrickson as Dr. Frederick Chilton who is the warden at the prison that is holding Dr. Lecktor. Stephen Lang is superb as the reporter Freddy Lounds whom Graham doesn’t like as he would stir trouble forcing Graham and Crawford to use him as a way to get the Tooth Fairy’s attention for an ad that eventually leads to trouble. Kim Greist is terrific as Graham’s wife Molly as a woman who is worried for her husband as she knows what he has to do as she would have a moment to deal with the possible presence of the Tooth Fairy.
Joan Allen is fantastic as Reba McClaine as a blind co-worker of the Tooth Fairy that would fall for him unaware of who he really is as she would also unknowingly spark jealousy for him. Dennis Farina is excellent as Jack Crawford as Graham’s partner who coaxes Graham out of retirement while helping him with the investigation while also keeping an eye on him for Graham’s wife to ensure that Graham doesn’t lose it. Tom Noonan is amazing as Francis Dollarhyde/the Tooth Fairy as a mysterious serial killer who is a fan of Dr. Lecktor’s works prompting him to do his own killings as a way to deal with ills of the world as well as his fascination for certain individuals and the world they live as it’s a restrained yet chilling performance from Noonan.
Brian Cox is incredible as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor in a role that is small yet impactful in terms of the discomfort he brings into the film. It’s a performance that also requires restraint where Cox doesn’t do anything creepy other than just talk and showcase some dark humor as it is his most iconic performance of his career. Finally, there’s William Petersen in a phenomenal performance as Will Graham as a FBI profiler who is coaxed out of retirement to investigate a series of murders where he tries to understand what Dollarhyde is doing while coping with his own demons following his capture of Dr. Lecktor forcing him to take action to find the Tooth Fairy.
Manhunter is a spectacular film from Michael Mann that features tremendous performances from William Petersen, Tom Noonan, and Brian Cox. Along with its ensemble cast, study on forensics and investigation, chilling tone, Dante Spinotti’s entrancing photography, and a haunting music soundtrack. The film is definitely a tier-top suspense drama that is more about character and ideas rather than action that adds to the sense of intrigue not often common with suspense films. In the end, Manhunter is a sensational film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief (1981 film) - (The Keep) – (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Ali – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) – Blackhat
Related: (Silence of the Lambs) – (Hannibal) – (Red Dragon) – (Hannibal Rising) - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper and the 1936 film by George B. Seitz and screenwriter Philip Dunne, The Last of the Mohicans is the story of two sisters who are accompanied by a major during the French and Indian War where they’re saved by a white Mohican warrior who accompanies them to a fort where their father is stationed at. Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann and Christopher Crowe from an adaptation by John L. Balderston, Paul Perez, and Daniel Moore, the film is a thrilling adventure film set during the French and Indian War in the Adirondack Mountains in the then-British colony of New York where a man tries to help two sisters reach their father while dealing with all sorts of foes. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Jodhi May, Russell Means, Wes Studi, Eric Schweig, and Steven Waddington. The Last of the Mohicans is an exhilarating and gripping film from Michael Mann.
It’s 1757 during the French and Indian War between the British and American colonials against the French and various Native American factions where a trio of Native Americans save a major and two women following an ambush by Huron warriors on their way to a fort that is the home of the women’s officer father. It’s a film that play into three men who live a life of peace and generosity as they decide to help these two women to be with their father yet things would get complicated once they arrive at their destination during this conflict that is happening. The film’s screenplay by Michael Mann and Christopher Crowe that was also based on Philip Dunne’s screenplay for the 1936 film by George B. Seitz does play into the world that its protagonist Nathaniel Poe/Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) lives in with his adopted father Chingachgook and adopted brother Uncas (Eric Schweig) as they live to hunt and be good company to other colonial settlers.
The first act is largely about Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) wanting to accompany his lover Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe) and her younger sister Alice (Jodhi May) as their father Colonel Edmund Munro (Maurice Roeves) who is stationed at Fort William Henry. Major Heyward and his entourage is accompanied by the Huron warrior Magua (Wes Studi) unaware that he’s leading them an ambush by his own tribe as he has a hatred towards Colonel Munro over events from the past that related to his family. It would be Hawkeye and his family that would save the Munro sisters and Major Heyward where Cora isn’t sure about trusting Hawkeye yet realizes what is at stake. The film’s second act that takes place at Fort William Henry during a battle with the French army led by General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm (Patrice Chereau) where the Munro sisters learn that from their father that they weren’t supposed to come.
The screenplay wouldn’t just play into this developing relationship between Hawkeye and Cora but also revelations that would plant the seeds of what is to come in this shaky alliance between the British forces and the colonial militia. After witnessing what happened to a family that Hawkeye and his family knew and Colonel Munro’s dismissal over the incidents due to lack of evidence. Cora realizes that even someone like her father is more concerned with maintaining his position rather than have the militia return to defend their home and families. The film’s third act which has everyone leaving the fort is about survival as well as the ideas of war where one group of people want to do what is honorable but another has personal reasons to wage war.
Mann’s direction is definitely astonishing in terms of its visual presentation and intense approach to action. Shot on location largely on the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina as well as various locations in the state as upstate New York and the Adirondack Mountains. Mann would use the locations as characters in the film as it play into a world that is peaceful only to be ravaged by war as it opens with Hawkeye and his family hunting and bringing food to eat and share with a family. The simplicity in Mann’s direction is key to the relationship Hawkeye would have with Cora later in the film with its usage of close-ups and medium shots as well as the brief moments between Alice and Uncas with the latter being protective of her from danger. The usage of hand-held cameras would play into the action as well as Hawkeye and his entourage trying to get to the fort and later hide from Magua and his tribe.
Mann’s usage of the wide shots would play into the scope of the battle scenes as well as the attention to detail of the French digging trenches and getting closer to the fort as well as the distance of cannons firing toward their target. Mann’s usage of tracking and dolly shots add to the detail of the landscape and chaos of war while he would also aim for precise compositions to play into the suspense as it relates to Magua ambushing the British army. Mann knows when to break from the action and suspense as its climax where Hawkeye meets with the Huron sachem Ongewasgone (Dennis Banks) in a plea for peace and mercy despite Magua’s need for revenge. Mann would know when to keep things engaging but also play into the drama. Overall, Mann crafts a riveting and adventurous film about a white Mohican who help two British women and officer find safety during the French and Indian War.
Cinematographer Dante Spinotti does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its natural approach to lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes as well as some scenes at night including one beautiful scene in a cave with the waterfalls and the usage of fire as it is a major highlight of the film. Editors Dov Hoenig and Arthur Schmidt do brilliant work with the editing as it has elements of style with its usage of slow-motion and rhythmic cuts as well as some other stylistic moments that play into the action, suspense, and drama. Production designer Wolf Kroeger, with set decorators Jim Erickson and James V. Kent plus art directors Robert Guerra and Richard Holland, does excellent work with the look of the homes of some of the characters as well as the interior of the fort and tents as well as the design of the Huron tribe camp. Costume designer Elsa Zamparelli does fantastic work with the costumes from the rugged look of Hawkeye and his family as well as the militia to the period dresses that Cora and Alice wear as well as the uniforms of the soldiers and officers from both the French and British.
Special makeup effects/prosthetics designer Vincent J. Guastini does amazing work with the look of the Huron tribe through its makeup as well as their Mohawks and other hairstyles of the times. Sound designer Lon E. Bender does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sounds of guns and cannons that help play into the action and its impact. The film’s music by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman is incredible for its bombastic music score with its usage of heavy percussions, woodwind arrangements, and other instruments that play into the drama and suspense while music supervisor David Kershenbaum would use a traditional Scottish piece performed by Dougie MacLean as one of the film’s music themes along with a piece performed by Clannad as it’s a highlight of the film.
The casting by Bonnie Timmerman is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Jared Harris as British lieutenant early in the film talking with militia, Colm Meaney as an officer in Major Ambrose, Pete Postlethwaite as one of Colonel Munro’s officer in Captain Beams, Dennis Banks as the Huron sachem Ongewasgone, Tracey Ellis and Terry Kinney as a couple in the Camerons that Hawkeye and his family are friends with, and Patrice Cheraeau in a terrific performance as General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm as the French general who is a man of principle as he is also someone that cares about the rules of engagement and humanity as he tries to get Magua to honor these ideas of war.
Maurice Roeves is superb as Colonel Edmund Munro as a British officer who is the father of Cora and Alice as he is dealing with being trapped as well as trying to maintain his position only to be indifferent towards the situations that colonial militia are dealing with. Steven Waddington is fantastic as Major Duncan Heyward as an officer who is hoping to marry Cora as a man trying to protect them as well as maintain his own position in rank while dealing with the chaos of the ambush from the Huron. Russell Means and Eric Schweig are brilliant in their respective roles as the father-son duo of Chingachgook and Uncas as two Mohican warriors who are family to Hawkeye as they help the Munro sisters find safety with the former being a master warrior while the latter becomes a source of comfort for Alice. Jodhi May is excellent as Alice Munro as Cora’s younger sister who is dealing with the ambush and terror of war where she befriends Uncas whom she becomes close to.
Wes Studi is amazing as Magua as a Huron warrior who harbors deep hatred towards Colonel Munro as he is revealed to be a double-agent for the French where he is hoping to get his revenge and bring honor back to his tribe. Madeleine Stowe is incredible as Cora Munro as a woman who deals with the ambush and situation that she and her sister are encountering while getting an understanding about Hawkeye and what she sees as she would gain a completely different perspective from what her father sees about what is really happening in the war. Finally, there’s Daniel Day-Lewis in a phenomenal performance as Nathaniel Poe/Hawkeye as a white man raised by the Mohicans since he was a boy as he is someone that knows what is happening as he is doing what he can to protect the Munro sisters while falling for Cora as it’s a charismatic and thrilling performance from Day-Lewis who proves he can be tough and heroic.
The Last of the Mohicans is a tremendous film from Michael Mann that features a great performance from Daniel Day-Lewis. Along with its ensemble cast, Dante Spinotti’s gorgeous cinematography, its immense music score, beautiful locations, and themes of war and honor. It’s a film that play into a group of people caught up in a deadly conflict as well as see things that would complicate the ideas of war forcing them to survive and evade the horrors of war. In the end, The Last of the Mohicans is a magnificent film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief - (The Keep) – Manhunter – (L.A. Takedown) – (Heat) – (The Insider) – Ali – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) – Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar by John Seybold (under the pseudonym Frank Hohimer), Thief is the story of a safecracker who decides to go straight upon completing one more diamond heist only for everything to go wrong. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Mann, the film is a look into a thief who is known for his professionalism as he deals with the dangers of his profession as he is eager to start a new life. Starring James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Robert Prosky, James Belushi, Tom Signorelli, Willie Nelson, and Dennis Farina. Thief is an entrancing and gripping film from Michael Mann.
The film follows the life of a safecracker who has decided to end his life of crime to focus on living a cleaner and safer life but a crime boss offers him a job that would make him rich as he copes with what the job will do for him but also if it can really set him free. It’s a film that is really more of a character study of a man that does have a couple of businesses that he runs in a bar and in a car dealership yet he makes great money in being a safecracker. Yet, when a fence who is supposed to pay him is killed and unable to give the safecracker named Frank (James Caan) his money. Frank learns that his dealer owes money to a crime boss in Leo (Robert Prosky) who wants to offer Frank a job to steal diamonds in California. The job would allow Leo a chance to not just get the money he’s owed but also so much more including a way out of the life of crime as he had been to prison and doesn’t want to go back. Michael Mann’s screenplay follows the world that Frank lives in as despite his legitimate businesses, he is at his best when he is opening safes and steal its goods while maintaining a low profile as he answers to no one.
Still, he has endured so much trouble and wants to stay away from trouble just as he’s getting his life going upon meeting and dating a restaurant cashier in Jessie (Tuesday Weld). He also has this idea of a dream he wants to do of a life outside of crime and major responsibilities that he wants to share with Jessie as there is this scene at a diner that is seven-minutes long where Frank talks about this dream he has with a picture he had been carrying. A man in that picture is his mentor Okla (Willie Nelson) who is incarcerated for his time as a safecracker but has a chance of getting out. For Frank to do that, he has to take Leo’s job offer as he and his friend Barry (James Belushi) go to California to do this job. The second act isn’t just about Frank accepting the job but also trying to get things the right way as he also has to deal with corrupt cops. The third act is about this heist but also its troubling aftermath.
Mann’s direction is rapturous for the way he creates an atmosphere of a man in his element as a safecracker as the first seven minutes showcases Frank breaking into a safe with a drill and hammer with great attention to detail. Shot largely in Chicago with some of the film shot in California, Mann would maintain a tone that does bear elements of film noir as much of the action is shot at night with very little scenes shot on a sunny day. Mann’s usage of wide shots do play into the locations yet he aims for something more intimate in the fact that the film is character-driven with Frank in nearly every frame of the film whether he’s having this conversation with Jessie about his life in a seven minute scene filled with monologues or a meeting with Leo at a restaurant with its medium shots and close-ups. Much of the film’s first two acts are driven mainly by suspense and drama with little emphasis on action as it play into the planning of this big heist in California.
Mann’s direction is also intoxicating for the way he builds up this slow attention to detail into how a heist would work but also Frank’s desire to make sure that Jessie wouldn’t know too much despite telling her what he really does. The climatic heist is also a slow build in not just what Frank, Barry, and their friend Joseph (William LaValley) do but also the tools and such they need to open a vault. It’s an amazing sequence that has Mann be patient in his approach as well as what is in the vault. The aftermath as it relates to everything Frank is given and what he wants do come into play where it’s not just violent but also play into the idea of loyalty in the world of crime which is something Frank has a problem with. It would lead to a showdown that is intense but also chilling in the way Mann approaches every shot in what is to come as well as the attention to detail into Frank’s professionalism. Overall, Mann creates a mesmerizing and riveting film about a safecracker trying to go straight while being asked to do one more job.
Cinematographer Donald Thorin does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key lighting for some of the interiors as well as scenes set at night with its emphasis on stylish lighting as it’s a highlight of the film. Editor Dov Hoenig does excellent work with the editing as it help play into the rhythm of the suspense in its pacing as well as some stylish cuts for some of the action and drama. Production designer Mel Bourne, along with set decorator John M. Dwyer and art director Mary Dodson, does amazing work with the look of the home that Frank would get from Leo as well as the bar and his car dealership as well as the room where the big vault for the film’s climax is presented.
The special effects of Russel Hessey and Doug Hubbard is terrific for some of the film’s action scenes as well as a few moments in the heist scenes. Sound mixer David M. Ronne does superb work with the sound in the way a drill sounds in breaking into a safe as well as other objects that help play into the suspense and action. The film’s music by Tangerine Dream is brilliant for its electronic-based score that has elements of somber and moody pieces along with eerie cuts that play into the suspense while a score piece by Craig Safan for the film’s final moments is intense in its art-rock sound as the soundtrack also includes some Chicago-based blues in a few scenes in the film.
The casting by Vic Ramos is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from William Petersen as a bartender at a blues bar, Dennis Farina as one of Leo’s hoods, Patti Ross as Barry’s girlfriend Marie, William LaValley as an associate of Frank’s in Joseph, Hal Franks as Frank’s fence Joe Gags who didn’t inform Frank about the money he owes to Leo, and Tom Signorelli as Leo’s right-hand man Attaglia as a low-level crime boss that refuses to give Frank his money as he would get in touch with Leo to deal with Frank. Willie Nelson is superb in a small but memorable performance as Frank’s mentor Okla as a man that is incarcerated as he’s dealing with ailments prompting Frank to get him out of prison legally.
James Belushi is fantastic as Barry as Frank’s friend who works as a mechanic at Frank’s dealership while also aiding him in the heist as he also hopes the job would give him a good life. Robert Prosky is excellent as Leo as a crime boss who offers Frank a major job with a big payday as he also helps him get a few things where it is clear what his motives are as it play into the ideas of loyalty and greed. Tuesday Weld is amazing as Jessie as a cashier waitress at a restaurant Frank falls for as she is suspicious about his attitude towards life while learning about what he does as she tries to help him start a new life. Finally, there’s James Caan in a tremendous performance as Frank as a safecracker who runs a dealership and a bar that is eager to go straight until he’s not given the money he’s owed as it’s a performance of intensity but also with an air of calm and restraint as a man who has been through too much and is eager that this one job will be his last as it is Caan in one of his best performances.
Thief is a spectacular film from Michael Mann that features an incredible performance from James Caan. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, riveting screenplay, offbeat suspense, and a hypnotic score by Tangerine Dream. The film is definitely an early major achievement from Mann that would showcase his approach to crime and man dealing with his situations as it is also this engrossing character study that isn’t afraid to show flaws in the decisions that a man makes. In the end, Thief is a phenomenal film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – (The Keep) – Manhunter – (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) – (Heat) – (The Insider) – Ali – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) – Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Michael Mann and written by Morgan Davis Foehl, Blackhat is the story of a convicted hacker who is asked by U.S. and Chinese government officials to aid them in uncovering a cyber-terrorist following a series of cyber-terrorist activities. The film is an exploration into the world of cyber-terrorism as it is becoming prevalent in the 21st Century where a hacker is asked to find the criminals as he copes with some of his actions. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tang Wei, Holt McCallany, Wang Leehom, and Viola Davis. Blackhat is a riveting and compelling film from Michael Mann.
With the news of cyber-terrorism finally coming into the forefront of the public, the film is about the dangers of cyber-terrorism when a Chinese nuclear power plant was attacked prompting a Chinese government official to work with the American government to get an old friend out of prison so he can help uncover these acts of cyber-terrorism. It’s a film that plays into the idea of what is a new world order as well as the dangers of technology in how it can create chaos where the enemy itself are faceless individuals who are wreaking havoc on the world of economics which makes countries vulnerable. There’s a lot of intriguing ideas that goes on in the film as it relates to the world of cyber-terrorism but it has elements in the script by Morgan Davis Foehl that doesn’t work.
Part of the flaws in the screenplay involves some of the conventional dramatic elements involving its protagonist Nick Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) and Chen Lien (Tang Wei) as the latter is the younger sister of China’s cyber warfare official in Captain Chen Dawai (Wang Leehom) who was a former college roommate of Nick and was the one that got him out of jail so that Nick can be helpful. The romance between Hathaway and Lien feels like it’s part of another film as it doesn’t really seem necessary to the story as a lot of it involves intrigue and what needs to be done. Especially as the trio are working with two FBI agents in Carol Barrett (Viola Davis) and Jessup (Holt McCallany) to find out who are the hackers and why they’re creating chaos. The eventual reveal of the villains themselves do come to ahead but their motivations aren’t very clear other than money as it is very ambiguous where it is among some of the conventional elements of the script that doesn’t really work.
Michael Mann’s direction is very entrancing as it is set in various locations in order to make the film play into this feeling of a new world that is being torn apart by modern technology. Much of Mann’s direction has him playing into a world that is chaotic where he uses a lot of hand-held cameras for some of the film’s action and gunfight sequences while creating elements of suspense in other scenes to convey this sense of a new world order. Shot in various locations in places like Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Kuala Lampur in Malaysia, and Jakarta, the film does have this sense of a feel that this worldwide where Mann’s approach to wide shots add to a film where it’s taking place around the world. Even as Mann creates feels very intimate in some of the drama with his usage of close-ups and medium shots to play into these characters embarking on something that they don’t really know.
Much of that intimacy and frenetic approach to action and suspense is shot on digital where Mann definitely aims for something that is not very polished but rather grainy as if it adds to this dark tone of the film. Especially for scenes set at night where Mann seems at home in displaying these elements of gunfights as well as in the action that includes its chilling climax in Jakarta. The usage of sequences inside the computers add to the air of suspense as well as the feeling that this is a new world and terror could come from anywhere. Even as the weapon is a simple laptop can trigger a nuclear power plant meltdown as it adds to the sense of a world that is far more dangerous than what it was. Though not everything in Mann’s direction works as well as the flaws that are present in the film’s script. The overall results still showcase Mann creating a very engaging film about the world of cyber-terrorism.
Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh does brilliant work with the film‘s very wobbly yet entrancing cinematography with its element of blurry images as well as the use of lights for many of the scenes set at night in the film‘s many different locations. Editors Joe Walker, Stephen Rivkin, Jeremiah O’Driscoll, and Mako Kamitsuna do excellent work with the editing with its usage of montages to play into the effects of the hacks as well as some intense rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, with set decorator Victor J. Zolfo and supervising art director Tom Reta, does fantastic work with the set designs from the FBI and Chinese government offices to the quaint apartments in Hong Kong where the main characters do their work.
Costume designer Colleen Atwood does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the uniform that Dawai wears in China as well the stylish clothes that Lien wears. Visual effects supervisors Phil Brennan, Joe Farrell, and John Nelson do superb work with the visual effects for the computer hacking sequences as well as a few moments in the action scenes. Sound editor Victor Ray Ennis and sound designer Tony Lamberti do terrific work with the sound to play into the way computers and their codes hack into certain places as well as the moments in some of the film‘s action scenes. The film’s music by Harry Gregson-Williams, Atticus Ross, and Leo Ross is wonderful for its score as it is largely electronic-based courtesy of the Ross brothers with a few orchestral flourishes from Gregson-Williams while music supervisor Gabe Hilfer brings in bits of traditional Asian music, electronic, and rock music into the mix.
The casting by Bonnie Timmerman is incredible as it features small performances from William Mapother and Jason Harner Butler as FBI officials, Andy On as a Hong Kong police inspector, Ritchie Coster as a mysterious figure named Kassar, and Yorick van Wageningen as another mysterious figure who is connected to the acts of cyber terrorism. Holt McCallany is terrific as FBI Agent Jessa as someone who is keeping an eye on Hathaway while knowing what is at stake as it relates to the mission at hand. Viola Davis is fantastic as FBI Agent Carol Barrett as this no-nonsense agent who knows about Hathaway’s reputation as she is reluctant to trust him while becoming aware that she and her team are facing an unknown enemy as Davis plays it straight with bits of humor into her performance. Leehom Wang is brilliant as Captain Chen Dawai as an old friend of Hathaway who asks for his help as he tries to uncover the mystery of the hacks as well as dealing with what he’s being asked to do by his bosses.
Tang Wei is excellent as Dawai’s sister Lien as she is also good with a computer as she aids in uncovering the mystery while dealing with her attraction towards Hathaway. Finally, there’s Chris Hemsworth in a superb performance as Nick Hathaway as this accomplished hacker who is temporarily released from prison as he helps the FBI uncover the hacker attacks as he copes with returning to prison as well as the dangers of what he’s facing.
Blackhat is a stellar yet flawed film from Michael Mann. While it has an excellent cast as well as compelling ideas about cyber-terrorism, it’s a film that falls short as it relates to being far more intriguing due to some of the conventions of the screenplay. However, it does play into a world that is becoming more uneasy as cyber-terrorism is becoming big news in the modern world. In the end, Blackhat is a very good film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) - Thief - (The Keep) - Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) - The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - (Heat (1995 film)) - (The Insider) - Ali - Collateral - Miami Vice - Public Enemies (2009 film) - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
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