'Blackhat'
Grade: D+
Michael Mann is a director known for creating exceptionally intense, atmospheric and emotionally-driven films of every caliber imaginable. Well, every once in a while anyway.
Though he is responsible for bringing the 1995 epic crime drama “Heat,” the film he is most known for, to the screen, there have been other films of equal potential that fell flat on their faces, such as “Miami Vice,” “Manhunter” and “Public Enemies.”
Plagued with a bout of awkward sequences and mind-numbingly boring dialogue accompanied by stagnant acting, Mann seemed like he was trying too hard to regain his footing.
“Blackhat” is Mann’s first film in six years. It revolves around a notorious hacker of the same name who terrorizes citizens by tampering with nuclear reactors and the stock exchange.
The first red flag sprang almost immediately when Chris Hemsworth was cast as an imprisoned super-hacker who gets bailed out to track Blackhat and bring it down.
Not to reinforce any stereotypes or demean anyone with those kinds of interests, but how many computer geeks are out there who are ripped and excel at hand-to-hand combat with gun expertise? You see where I’m going with this.
But, hey, suspension of disbelief, right? That’s the reason people go to theaters, to escape reality. Watch 20 minutes of this, and you’ll jump right back.
The terms boring, tedious and flat have never had a better reason to exist than to describe “Blackhat.” It’s challenging enough to make a “cyber-espionage” film with a consistent level of interest and suspense, but it’s even more difficult to add a shot of adrenaline without making it look so ludicrously out of place with the overall tone of the movie.
It’s like intravenously feeding a kid gallons of energy drinks and letting them loose. It’s unnecessary and a big mistake for all involved.
Also, it’s annoying.
Aside from the uninspired action sequences, the acting and the story arc leave a lot to be desired as well. Did I already say boring and flat? Just checking.
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but that’s really all there is to say about the overall experience, not to mention the numerous muddled and confusing plot points and segues scattered throughout.
It seems Michael Mann has found his niche during the many years of his career. Considering the quality of his past few releases, it’s probably something that should’ve stayed lost.
Dylan Corbeill
