Review of Blackhat (2015) by Stephen B — 25 Feb 2015

Any movie year that kicks off with a choice Michael Mann thriller can't be all bad. And the fact that this cyber-thriller is essentially ripped from the headlines amidst major hacking incidents and spying warfare is icing on the cake. At its core though, it's still a good guys vs bad guys caper, but in the hands of Mann, as director, producer and co-screenwriter, you're in for some high-style, electrifying gamesmanship. This isn't one for the short attention span crowd.

Blackhat stars Chris Hemsworth as the sexiest computer genius ever. However, Mann takes his sweet time letting us even see Hemsworth. First there's that sensational opening shot that follows a RAT. That'd be Remote Access Tool, a computer worm much like the device that attacked an Iranian nuclear facility back in 2010. This time the RAT is infiltrating a Hong Kong computer network in control of a reactor. As always, the whole world is at risk unless the blackhat is taken out.

Wang Leehom is Capt. Chen Dawai, an MIT-trained Chinese military hotshot tasked with bringing down the cyber-terrorist, but he can't do it alone. That's where Thor comes in. Hemsworth, that is. Hemsworth's hacker, Hathaway, happens to be the captain's college roomie, whose hacking exploits have put him in a federal prison for 15 years. After the Chinese government makes a deal with the FBI, represented by a wonderful Viola Davis, Hathaway is released so the good guys can solve the case. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange has already been taken down, and the next hit could be even worse.

There's plot. A lot of plot, and unnecessary sexual sparks between Hemsworth and a hottie network engineer (Tang Wei) who is also the captain's sister.

There's acting, but it isn't really the point here. Mann and cinematographer extraordinaire Stuart Dryburgh are more concerned with keep the action bubbling in crisp locations that include the neon dazzle of Hong Kong and the sizzling exoticism of Jakarta.

The best pleasure comes in watching Mann delight in using his skills to take on the face of 21st-centiry warfare. Mann sees parallels between coders and filmmakers. In Mann's classic crime stories, from Manhunter and Thief to Heat, Collateral and Miami Vice, he utilizes light, color, design, editing and music and camera skills to track real people and find the humanity in monsters and heroes, and does his best to do the same for this faceless enemy. It's timely, urgent, provocative and fun. Who better than Mann to take on the challenge.