A furloughed convict and his American and Chinese partners hunt a high-level cybercrime network from Chicago to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Jakarta.
A competent procedural rather than the ground-breaking cybersaga we’d hoped for. But as with Miami Vice, Mann’s boundless style does a remarkable job of disguising the lack of substance.
It’s no Heat but the niggles are easily forgiven given the virtuosity on show and the mood oozing from every frame. No one shoots faces, architecture and gunfights like Mann.
lackhat might appear ultra modern but it feels desperately dated, it's as if Mann has dusted off a cheesy straight-to-video thriller from the 90s and just jazzed it up a bit.
With each new film, Mann's past films look even more interesting and abstract.
Chris Hemsworth is the convicted hacker strongarmed into working with the Chinese in Michael Mann’s dependably macho but disappointing thriller.
Blackhat offers a strange mix of sophistication and crudity, brilliant ideas and half-baked ones.
Verdict: Daft but stylish thriller.
Never mind substance, just savour the spectacle.
Much like how an unknown force seizes control within the story, so too does an ineffable haunting atmosphere provide this film’s power.
This is a square-jawed, furrowed-browed, altogether joyless film, with a hero to match.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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