Unmasking 'Blackhat': Unraveling Michael Mann’s Thrilling Journey into the World of Hackers

Highlights

"Blackhat" was a major flop for director Michael Mann, grossing only $19.7 million on a $70 million budget.

Mann fully accepts the blame for the film's lack of success, acknowledging that the script was insufficiently prepared for filming.

Despite its flaws, "Blackhat" demonstrates Mann's mastery of cinematography and presents a distinctive, thematically pertinent approach to the action genre.

In the year 2000, Michael Mann and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki embarked on a location scouting mission for Mann's biographical film about Muhammad Ali, Ali. Driving around at night, they filmed prospective settings using digital video, venturing into the emerging field of filmmaking. Although digital cinematography had previously been utilized for independent and experimental projects in the mid-90s, the only major motion picture to employ this technology was Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999. This moment in Mann's career marked a significant milestone and holds particular significance when compared to his most recent film, 2015's Blackhat.

With Chris Hemsworth as the lead and Mann's expert handling of the crime genre, Blackhat seemed destined to become another triumph. However, when the film was released on January 16th, 2015, it defied all expectations. Despite having a budget of $70 million, it only grossed $19.7 million worldwide, making it the most significant failure in Mann's illustrious career. Labelled an outright catastrophe, Blackhat was quickly abandoned and left to fade away. However, it has since made a resurgence in recent years.

What is Blackhat about?

Nick Hathaway, a convicted hacker, is temporarily released to assist the FBI and the Chinese government. This comes after his code caused a nuclear meltdown in Hong Kong. Leading the investigation is his former MIT roommate, Chen Dawai, who is a Captain in the People's Liberation Army cyberwarfare unit. The team also includes FBI Special Agent Carol Barrett and United States Marshal Mark Jessup. Tang Wei, Chen's sister, is a networking engineer who develops a relationship with Nick.

When the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is hacked, the team discovers that the stolen stock money leads to a paramilitary mercenary named Elias Kassar. Despite appearing unsophisticated, Elias always manages to stay ahead. As Nick pursues Elias and his crew across different countries, he also finds himself dealing with love and loss within his newfound surrogate family. While Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes may not fully capture the essence of Blackhat, their low scores do raise valid concerns.

What Went Wrong with Blackhat?

In a recent interview with Variety, Mann takes full responsibility for the failure of Blackhat, acknowledging that the script was not ready for production. He believes that the film's subject matter, which some perceived as mere fantasy, was actually completely accurate.

Some might perceive this as Mann potentially blaming the first-time writer of the film, Morgan Davis Foehl (who has not been involved in any other film projects since then). However, it was Mann's own decision not to further develop the admittedly weak script to a more suitable stage for filming. Mann is renowned for his control on set, and there were rumors that his creative input extended all the way from the development phase to the marketing stage, as Universal was grappling with how to promote his unconventional action drama. If he had wanted to continue working on the script, he easily could have done so and probably would have even received gratitude from the studio for doing it. Nevertheless, as he mentioned, the concept was ahead of its time, and he chose to make the film in the meticulously researched manner that he excels at, rather than attempting to make it more accessible to audiences, which would have greatly boosted its success at the box office.

What Went Right with Blackhat?

The primary concern expressed by a majority of Blackhat's detractors centered on Hemsworth's casting as a hacker. They argued that someone as masculine and prominent as Thor could not believably portray a recluse computer nerd. However, these critiques overlook a crucial aspect of his character: his time spent in jail. While it may initially appear as a careless trope, in a Michael Mann film, no detail is insignificant, particularly when it pertains to the criminal justice system. A pivotal moment in the movie occurs when Nick walks on a tarmac moments after being released from prison, absorbing the world around him after an extended period of confinement. This subtle yet powerful moment echoes throughout the remainder of the film when Nick tells Tang Wei, "I serve my own sentence, not the institution's."

The film falls short of Mann's exceptional debut in "Thief" from 1981, but it does add some complexity to an otherwise predictable action movie. While we never see Nick before his time in prison, it is evident that he has undergone a significant transformation. This is due to Mann's extensive knowledge of the criminal world and his technical expertise, which results in visually striking cinematography that aligns with the film's themes and narrative. Although "Blackhat" contains some unoriginal plot elements and occasional issues with editing and pacing (which Mann addressed in a revised version set to be released later this year), it displays a unique voice from a talented filmmaker. This prevents the action from feeling unnecessary or inconsequential, a common struggle in contemporary films of this genre.