Movies slip through the cracks. Blackhat is one of those films. The Michael Mann globetrotting cyber thriller is as many of Mann’s filmography, ahead of its time. Audiences’ tastes and intelligence have started to catch up to what director Mann created in the fast-paced on-the-run global thriller. One only needs to see the success of his recent debut novel Heat 2. A novel that uses the same sort of global spanning tactics used in Blackhat to great critical and commercial success.
The way Mann sets you always one step behind creating a breathless pace is the key to the film’s success. The director and co-writer removes all plot exposition, making Blackhat a marvel to anyone who loves intelligent films that refuse to spoon-feed you. It is also the reason the film wasn’t a hit at the time. That driving force of storytelling was something most audiences weren’t prepared for.
This is further compounded in the director’s cut of the film. Re-editing and restructuring by Mann after the initial theatrical release was a masterstroke. Blackhat in this form is a pulsating complex intelligent action thriller. A film that is as paranoid and sobering as a film should be about what a hacker can do with skill, money, and determination.
Mann’s film is one of time not even lost but never had. That permeates every aspect of the film. Chris Hemsworth’s Hathaway is a man quickly losing the little time he does have outside of prison. There is a spiritual connection to Mann’s first film Thief. Both deal with incarcerated men working in a quickly changing society where their own codes do not apply. They are thrust into a world they barely remember and are asked to perform literal miracles but are blocked by the ego and ineptitude of others. Or in Hathaway’s case governmental oversight that hobbles his manhunt at every turn. It is only when he is unencumbered and left without any oversight is he able to find the blackhat hacker (Yorick van Wageningen) he has been hunting. When freed to use his own rules and code that Hathaway is able to finally serve his own brand of justice.
Blackhat ends on an ambiguous note. One where Hathaway and partner/lover Lien (played by Tang Wei) have all the money they could want but no country. No country to answer to, no law to abide by, no order to conform to, or chaos to confront. A new world where the goal is no oversight or intrusion by any governing body. A goal ironically similar to another protagonist from another Mann film, Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) in Last of the Mohicans. Mann in his final moments shows us this in our current society is a daydream. A daydream not even a hacker as adroit as Hathaway can escape.
The Transfer
The 4K presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the US and international versions of the film are reference quality transfers. You expect nothing less from any home video release of a Michael Mann film. The transfers are native exports of the full digital image. The result is an image that’s not just clean but has been timed/color-corrected to perfection. From the nightscapes of Hong Kong to the sweaty exteriors of Jakarta to the sodium vapor nights of Los Angeles there isn’t anything this transfer can’t handle. The contrast levels are the highlight here with the transfer being able to handle the deepest blacks and brightest of whites without any issue. Arrow Video continues its run of excellent 4K UHD upgrades.
The Extras
They include the following;
Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
Firewall
Zero Day Threat Dyas
The Cyber Threat
On Location Around the World
Creating Reality
Image gallery
The all-new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry opens with the reputation of Blackhat in Michael Mann’s filmography. Some of the details include a discussion of the opening and how they relate to other Cyber Thrillers; real life cyber-attacks and the hackers that inspired the screenwriters; the hacker (Max Vision) that inspired Chris Hemsworth’s character; the criticism Hemsworth casting took; where the film’s title came from and evolved from; what defines a whitehat or blackhat hacker; a discussion about Hemsworth’s character – including his accent; a discussion of Viola Davis work here – and the research done for this role and her thoughts on the production; a personal anecdote about meeting Michael Mann; a controversy about the score and music in the film – including a now-deleted social media post from Harry Gregson-Williams; a rebuttal from Michael Mann about the score after that piece; a larger discussion about the score and how Mann puts them together from multiple sources and composers; Mann’s directorial style; a larger discussion of the evolution of Mann’s style – e.g., his use of early era Digital Cameras, his use of camera, his fixation with composition, light, and architecture; how that style is applied to Blackhat; the work of cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh – including a discussion of the various cameras and lenses; discussion of the various actors, many from Broadway, and their careers both on film and outside of film; discussion of the various action set pieces and how some of the scenes were accomplished throughout the world; and much more. Reesman and Evry bring a relaxed but informative style to the track giving us an insight into this fascinating but flawed (in the theatrical and international cuts) film.
Firewall (18:44) – the all-new video interview with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh deep dives into the style, complexity, and troubles that came with making this global thriller with director Michael Mann. Dryburgh’s interview begins with his account of when and how he got into the Australian Film industry to how he got onto camera crews to his first shot short to working with Gillian Anderson including his work on The Piano and eventually how he was hired by Mann for Blackhat (his previous work for Mann on Luck); a discussion of the Alexa and why it worked so well for Blackhat and other films he’s worked on; the issues of using other various cameras during the production; how some of the various shots in the production were accomplished; the important of collaboration with the costume designer and production designer; and much more.
Zero Day Threat (30:33) – the all-new video interview with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas is a great discussion of the complexity of creating the visual style in collaboration with Michael Mann on a true globally shot action thriller. Dyas begins with his origins and how he got into Production Design through his art design background at the Royal College of Art in England; his first job at Sony (in Tokyo) designing the last Walkmen and the first MiniDiscs for them; how a chance encounter got him a job at ILM; the work he did and the foundational education he got at ILM; the work that lead to working in pre-production art at ILM and eventually got his first break; how a now defunct project (Roboapocolypse) lead to Blackhat; working with Michael Mann and how that differed from others – including a “utility belt” he had to create to accommodate/help Mann; and much more.
Three archival behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film
The Cyber Threat (13:02) – this archival featurette looks at the real-world cyber threats that Blackhat makes its story. Essentially an elevated EPK featurette looking at the story of the film and the grounding in reality. The featurette covers some of the same ground that commentary covers. Featuring interviews with star Chris Hemsworth; director Michael Mann; consultant Christopher McKinlay, PhD; former FBI agent Michael Panico; and others.
On Location Around the World (9:30) – this archival featurette looks at the various locations that Blackhat used to create the level of realism that Mann requires in his film. This featurette does a great job of showing/detailing why Mann prefers location and the verisimilitude that informs not just performance but the visual look. Featuring interviews with star Chris Hemsworth; star Viola Davis; director Michael Mann; production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas; and others.
Creating Reality (17:01) – this archival featurette looks at the lengths that Michael Mann will go to create a sense of realism in everything from acting, writing, shooting, and the entire production. Mann discusses why and how he approaches his films and stories – coming from a very research-heavy/journalistic style that informs everything in his productions. This approach helps everything from actors to the below-the-line crew make the film that Mann wants to make. The featurette has a fair amount of great behind-the-scenes photos and videos from preproduction. Featuring interviews with star Chris Hemsworth; star Viola Davis; director Michael Mann; production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas; actor Ritchie Coster; actor Tang Wei; and others.
Image gallery – featuring 16 behind-the-scenes stills that are navigated through your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video’s long-awaited 4K UHD set of Blackhat is worth the wait – filled with special features including the home video release of Mann’s director’s cut. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS!!!
Blackhat Michael Mann’s global trotting cyber thriller makes its 4K UHD debut thanks to Arrow Video. The set comes packed with special features including the home video debut of Mann’s Director’s Cut.
The Film
Movies slip through the cracks. Blackhat is one of those films. The Michael Mann globetrotting cyber thriller is as many of Mann’s filmography, ahead of its time. Audiences’ tastes and intelligence have started to catch up to what director Mann created in the fast-paced on-the-run global thriller. One only needs to see the success of his recent debut novel Heat 2. A novel that uses the same sort of global spanning tactics used in Blackhat to great critical and commercial success.
The way Mann sets you always one step behind creating a breathless pace is the key to the film’s success. The director and co-writer removes all plot exposition, making Blackhat a marvel to anyone who loves intelligent films that refuse to spoon-feed you. It is also the reason the film wasn’t a hit at the time. That driving force of storytelling was something most audiences weren’t prepared for.
This is further compounded in the director’s cut of the film. Re-editing and restructuring by Mann after the initial theatrical release was a masterstroke. Blackhat in this form is a pulsating complex intelligent action thriller. A film that is as paranoid and sobering as a film should be about what a hacker can do with skill, money, and determination.
Mann’s film is one of time not even lost but never had. That permeates every aspect of the film. Chris Hemsworth’s Hathaway is a man quickly losing the little time he does have outside of prison. There is a spiritual connection to Mann’s first film Thief. Both deal with incarcerated men working in a quickly changing society where their own codes do not apply. They are thrust into a world they barely remember and are asked to perform literal miracles but are blocked by the ego and ineptitude of others. Or in Hathaway’s case governmental oversight that hobbles his manhunt at every turn. It is only when he is unencumbered and left without any oversight is he able to find the blackhat hacker (Yorick van Wageningen) he has been hunting. When freed to use his own rules and code that Hathaway is able to finally serve his own brand of justice.
Blackhat ends on an ambiguous note. One where Hathaway and partner/lover Lien (played by Tang Wei) have all the money they could want but no country. No country to answer to, no law to abide by, no order to conform to, or chaos to confront. A new world where the goal is no oversight or intrusion by any governing body. A goal ironically similar to another protagonist from another Mann film, Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) in Last of the Mohicans. Mann in his final moments shows us this in our current society is a daydream. A daydream not even a hacker as adroit as Hathaway can escape.
The Transfer
The 4K presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the US and international versions of the film are reference quality transfers. You expect nothing less from any home video release of a Michael Mann film. The transfers are native exports of the full digital image. The result is an image that’s not just clean but has been timed/color-corrected to perfection. From the nightscapes of Hong Kong to the sweaty exteriors of Jakarta to the sodium vapor nights of Los Angeles there isn’t anything this transfer can’t handle. The contrast levels are the highlight here with the transfer being able to handle the deepest blacks and brightest of whites without any issue. Arrow Video continues its run of excellent 4K UHD upgrades.
The Extras
They include the following;
The all-new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry opens with the reputation of Blackhat in Michael Mann’s filmography. Some of the details include a discussion of the opening and how they relate to other Cyber Thrillers; real life cyber-attacks and the hackers that inspired the screenwriters; the hacker (Max Vision) that inspired Chris Hemsworth’s character; the criticism Hemsworth casting took; where the film’s title came from and evolved from; what defines a whitehat or blackhat hacker; a discussion about Hemsworth’s character – including his accent; a discussion of Viola Davis work here – and the research done for this role and her thoughts on the production; a personal anecdote about meeting Michael Mann; a controversy about the score and music in the film – including a now-deleted social media post from Harry Gregson-Williams; a rebuttal from Michael Mann about the score after that piece; a larger discussion about the score and how Mann puts them together from multiple sources and composers; Mann’s directorial style; a larger discussion of the evolution of Mann’s style – e.g., his use of early era Digital Cameras, his use of camera, his fixation with composition, light, and architecture; how that style is applied to Blackhat; the work of cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh – including a discussion of the various cameras and lenses; discussion of the various actors, many from Broadway, and their careers both on film and outside of film; discussion of the various action set pieces and how some of the scenes were accomplished throughout the world; and much more. Reesman and Evry bring a relaxed but informative style to the track giving us an insight into this fascinating but flawed (in the theatrical and international cuts) film.
Firewall (18:44) – the all-new video interview with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh deep dives into the style, complexity, and troubles that came with making this global thriller with director Michael Mann. Dryburgh’s interview begins with his account of when and how he got into the Australian Film industry to how he got onto camera crews to his first shot short to working with Gillian Anderson including his work on The Piano and eventually how he was hired by Mann for Blackhat (his previous work for Mann on Luck); a discussion of the Alexa and why it worked so well for Blackhat and other films he’s worked on; the issues of using other various cameras during the production; how some of the various shots in the production were accomplished; the important of collaboration with the costume designer and production designer; and much more.
Zero Day Threat (30:33) – the all-new video interview with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas is a great discussion of the complexity of creating the visual style in collaboration with Michael Mann on a true globally shot action thriller. Dyas begins with his origins and how he got into Production Design through his art design background at the Royal College of Art in England; his first job at Sony (in Tokyo) designing the last Walkmen and the first MiniDiscs for them; how a chance encounter got him a job at ILM; the work he did and the foundational education he got at ILM; the work that lead to working in pre-production art at ILM and eventually got his first break; how a now defunct project (Roboapocolypse) lead to Blackhat; working with Michael Mann and how that differed from others – including a “utility belt” he had to create to accommodate/help Mann; and much more.
Three archival behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film
Image gallery – featuring 16 behind-the-scenes stills that are navigated through your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video’s long-awaited 4K UHD set of Blackhat is worth the wait – filled with special features including the home video release of Mann’s director’s cut. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS!!!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of Blackhat is out now
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