Michael Mann is one of the most accomplished and well-rounded filmmakers of his generation. He writes, directs, produces, operates the camera, and even acts in bit roles at times. However, the four-time Oscar nominee has not directed a film since the critically panned Blackhat in 2015. What gives?
Truth be told, Mann was set to helm Ford v. Ferrari last year, which he went on to produce for director James Mangold. It was recently announced Mann will direct the untitled Tony Accardo/Sam Giancana biopic, although no official release date has yet been given. To get us prepared anyway, let’s assess Mann’s 11 theatrical feature films as they rank from worst to best!
Blackhat
Not even the almighty Thor could save Blackhat from the critical drubbing Mann took following the 2015 release. A movie that has apparently landed Mann in movie jail for the past five years!
Chris Hemsworth stars in the film as a skilled computer hacker who evades a long prison sentence after a piece of code he wrote as a student appeared in a Chinese malware program. This sends Hemsworth around the globe to hunt an elusive hacker who may hold the future of China and America in his hands.
The Keep
Despite an ultra-cool setting and captivating premise, The Keep suffers from severe pacing issues and woefully atrocious visual effects. Very little about the movie holds up today!
Adapted from the F. Paul Wilson novel, the horror movie revolves around a mysterious keep off the coast of Romania. There, Nazi forces have inadvertently unleashed a demonic entity that they desperately try to keep quarantined from the public. As soldiers die, one by one, it’s up to a Jewish man and his daughter to solve the mystery.
Ali
Even with a career-performance by Will Smith as Cassius Clay, Ali is just a so-so movie when all is tallied. When it comes to the greatest heavyweight in history, we expect more!
That said, one of the wises decisions Mann made in the film was to focus the story on just a slice of Ali’s life, rather than try to cram a cradle-t0-grave story into a two-hour timeframe. Instead, the movie charts the tumultuous time in Ali’s life from 1964 to 1974, when he became a conscientious objector and civil rights icon.
Miami Vice
With great adoration for the TV show from which it was adapted, Mann injected his vision of Miami Vice with a much rougher and more violent tableau than anyone expected.
Yet, although it surpassed many’s expectations, the movie still ranks among Mann’s lower tier. The high-octane thrill-ride about two undercover cops working the Miami beat grows complicated when Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) personal lives get entangled with their professional business.
Thief
While Thief too suffers from a slow-burn tempo typically found in movies from the 1970s, the fascinating character study of Frank, a professional safecracker trying to abide by the straight and narrow, is a worthy Mann movie.
As an aging thief fresh out of jail, Frank is determined to clean his life up. In order to live a simple life by the book, Frank concocts one last giant heist that will set him up for a lifetime. Unfortunately, Frank’s idyllic plans blind him to the harsh reality that nothing goes as planned. A fine, plot-driven character study!
Public Enemies
From one thief to another! One of Johnny Depp’s last great performances came via Mann’s Public Enemies, in which he plays the real-life character of John Dillinger, bank robber extraordinaire!
Set during the crime-ridden 1930s in a time when organized criminals like Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd ruled the day, the story tracks the FBI’s dogged attempt to put them all behind bars. The stellar cast was nominated for a SAG award for best cast.
Collateral
In their first time working together, Mann directed Tom Cruise to one of his finest performances in the searing character-driven thriller, Collateral.
Same goes for Jamie Foxx, who earned the second Oscar nomination of his career for his role as Max, a conflicted cab driver caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the slick assassin Vincent (Cruise) catches a taxi, he orders Max to drive him through the most sordid parts of Los Angeles to conduct several perilous business meetings.
Manhunter
For all you trivia buffs out there, let it be known that the infamous villain of Hannibal Lecter originated onscreen via Mann’s 1986 Manhunter!
Indeed, Brian Cox played the part six whole years before Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar as Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. In Manhunter, Detective Will Graham (William Peterson) is brought out of retirement to catch the infamous Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan), a deranged serial killer who slaughters families during a full moon. To do so, Graham convenes with Hannibal Lecter to obtain clues regarding the Tooth Fairy’s murderous M.O.
The Last Of The Mohicans
Winning an Academy Award for Best Sound, The Last of the Mohicans features yet another great performance by the now-retired Daniel Day-Lewis. The film also won BAFTAs for Best Makeup and Cinematography!
Set during the height of the French/Indian war, the film follows two native fur trappers and their half-white brother, who are tasked with finding and rescuing the young kidnapped daughters of a British colonel. Mann adapts the celebrated James Fenimore Cooper novel with great respect and historical accuracy.
Heat
Heat is not only of the finest heist pictures ever made, but it’s equally famous for pitting two screen legends against each other for the first time in cinematic history. Yup, it’s all about that De Niro/Pacino cafe scene!
De Niro plays Neil McCauley, an icy bank robber with the discipline to drop everything at a moment’s notice and disappear if the job calls for it. Pacino plays Vincent Hanna, a police Lieutenant hot on McCauley’s heels after a string of daring bank robberies. With each great at their respective jobs, an inevitable showdown must determine who excels most.
The Insider
Given the weighty subject matter and top-tier performances, the real-life tale Mann directed in The Insider is easily his finest cinematic hour so far.
The film follows conscience-driven chemist Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) who discovers that one of the biggest tobacco companies knowingly continued to sell carcinogenic cigarettes. When he decides to speak out publicly, his life is systematically destroyed. The Insider is the most important subject matter in all of Mann’s films and features his most skilled moviemaking traits.
