MICHAEL MANNDIRECTED: BLACK HAT, PUBLIC ENEMIES, AND HEAT

PERSONAL QUOTE: [ON DIRECTING] I ALWAYS TRY TO FIND SOMETHING THAT MAKES A SCENE FEEL REAL, AND WHAT MAKES THINGS FEEL TRUE TO ME IS USUALLY SOMETHING ANOMALOUS, A COMPONENT YOU WOULD NEVER EXPECT TO FIND, SO IT DOESN'T

LOOK MANICURED OR PERFECT. THIS CAN BE A LOCATION, A GESTURE, AN EXPRESSION, A THOUGHT IN SOMEBODY'S HEAD - IF

YOU LOOK AT LIFE, THAT'S WHAT IT'S LIKE.

MICHAEL MANN

• MICHAEL KENNETH MANN (BORN FEBRUARY 5, 1943) IS AN AMERICAN FILM DIRECTOR, SCREENWRITER, AND PRODUCER.

• FOR HIS WORK, HE HAS RECEIVED NOMINATIONS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND JURIES, INCLUDING THOSE AT THE BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ART, CANNES AND THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES. HIS MAJOR FILMS INCLUDE THE DOCUDRAMA THE INSIDER(1999), THE BIOPIC ALI (2001), AND THE CRIME FILMS HEAT(1995) AND THIEF(1981).

• TOTAL FILM RANKED MANN NO. 28 ON ITS LIST OF THE 100 GREATEST DIRECTORS EVER, SIGHT AND SOUND RANKED HIM NO. 5 ON THEIR LIST OF THE 10 BEST DIRECTORS OF THE LAST 25 YEARS, AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY RANKED MANN NO. 8 ON THEIR 25 GREATEST ACTIVE FILM DIRECTORS LIST.

WHAT IS THE GENRE ‘THRILLER’?A THRILLER IS A STORY THAT IS USUALLY A MIX OF FEAR AND EXCITEMENT. IT HAS TRAITS FROM THE SUSPENSE GENRE AND OFTEN FROM THE ACTION, ADVENTURE OR MYSTERY GENRES, BUT THE LEVEL OF TERROR MAKES IT BORDERLINE HORROR FICTION AT TIMES AS WELL. IT GENERALLY HAS A DARK OR SERIOUS THEME, WHICH ALSO MAKES IT SIMILAR TO DRAMA.

BLACK HAT…

AFTER A HONG KONG NUCLEAR PLANT AND THE MERCANTILE TRADE EXCHANGE IN CHICAGO ARE HACKED BY UNKNOWN PERPETRATORS, A FEDERAL AGENT (VIOLA DAVIS) PROPOSES THAT THE FBI WORK WITH CHINA TO FIND THE CYBER-CRIMINALS. THE LEADER OF THE CHINESE TEAM, CHEN DAWAI, INSISTS THAT CONVICTED HACKER NICK HATHAWAY (CHRIS HEMSWORTH) BE RELEASED FROM PRISON TO HELP WITH THE INVESTIGATION. AS NICK AND HIS COMRADES CHASE THEIR QUARRY, IT BECOMES EVIDENT THAT THE HACKERS HAVE A SINISTER MOTIVE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.…• INITIAL RELEASE: JANUARY 15, 2015 (NETHERLANDS)• DIRECTOR: MICHAEL MANN• BOX OFFICE: 19.7 MILLION USD• PRODUCTION COMPANY: LEGENDARY ENTERTAINMENT• BUDGET: 70 MILLION USD

PUBLIC ENEMIES…

DEPRESSION-ERA BANK ROBBER JOHN DILLINGER'S (JOHNNY DEPP) CHARM AND AUDACITY ENDEAR HIM TO MUCH OF AMERICA'S DOWNTRODDEN PUBLIC, BUT HE'S ALSO A THORN IN THE SIDE OF J. EDGAR HOOVER (BILLY CRUDUP) AND THE FLEDGLING FBI. DESPERATE TO CAPTURE THE ELUSIVE OUTLAW, HOOVER MAKES DILLINGER HIS FIRST PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE AND ASSIGNS HIS TOP AGENT, MELVIN PURVIS (CHRISTIAN BALE), THE TASK OF BRINGING HIM IN DEAD OR ALIVE.… • INITIAL RELEASE: JUNE 18, 2009• DIRECTOR: MICHAEL MANN• MUSIC COMPOSED BY: ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL• BOX OFFICE: 214.1 MILLION USD• SCREENPLAY: MICHAEL MANN, ANN BIDERMAN, RONAN BENNETT

HEAT…

MASTER CRIMINAL NEIL MCCAULEY (ROBERT DE NIRO) IS TRYING TO CONTROL THE ROGUE ACTIONS OF ONE OF HIS MEN, WHILE ALSO PLANNING ONE LAST BIG HEIST BEFORE RETIRING. MEANWHILE, LIEUTENANT HANNA (AL PACINO) ATTEMPTS TO TRACK DOWN MCCAULEY AS HE DEALS WITH THE CHAOS IN HIS OWN LIFE, INCLUDING THE INFIDELITY OF HIS WIFE (DIANE VENORA) AND THE MENTAL HEALTH OF HIS STEPDAUGHTER (NATALIE PORTMAN). MCCAULEY AND HANNA DISCOVER A MUTUAL RESPECT, EVEN AS THEY TRY TO THWART EACH OTHER'S PLANS.… MORE• RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 2, 1996 (UK)• DIRECTOR: MICHAEL MANN • SCREENPLAY: MICHAEL MANN • MUSIC COMPOSED BY: ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL• BOX OFFICE: 187.4 MILLION USD

• TYPICAL CHARACTERS : MICHAEL MANN PORTRAYS A LARGE PART OF HIS CHARACTERS AS GANGSTER FIGURES AND DIRECTS HIS FILMS FROM A VILLAIN CONTROLLED PLOT. THIS IS SHOWN IN HEAT AND PUBLIC ENEMIES, HOWEVER IN BLACKHAT HE DEPICTED THE FILM THROUGH AN EDGY GOOD GUY BAD GUY CHARACTER. HE OFTEN PORTRAYS HIS CRIMINALS AS LIKEABLE AND SYMPATHETIC LEAD CHARACTERS. OFTEN A CHARACTER TAKES A CAREFULLY AIMED SHOT IN MANN'S MOVIES: LT. VINCENT HANNA IN HEAT (1995) SHOOTS MICHAEL CHERITTO AFTER THE BANK HEIST. IN COLLATERAL (2004) VINCENT SHOOTS AT THE NIGHT CLUB PETER LIM. SONNY CROCKETT SHOOTS IN MIAMI VICE (2006) DURING THE BOATYARD SHOOTOUT COLEMAN. AND GINA CALABRESE SHOOTS THE TATTOOED 'ARYAN BROTHER' TO RESCUE TRUDY JOPLIN. HAWKEYE IN THE THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992) SHOOTS MAJ. DUNCAN HEYWARD TO SPARE HIM PAIN. MELVIN PURVIS IN PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009) SHOOTS AT THE VERY BEGINNING PRETTY BOY FLOYD WITH A CAREFULLY AIMED SHOT . IN BLACKHAT (2015) AGENT MARK JESSUP CAREFULLY AIMS AND KILLS 5 OF KASSAR'S MEN DURING A SHOOTOUT IN HONG KONG.

• SETTINGS : MICHAEL MANN GENERALLY USES EXPRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE AS HIS FILM SET HOWEVER HE DOES ALSO COMMONLY USE COMMUNAL AREAS, SUCH AS; BANKS AND CAFES. MANY OF HIS FILMS ARE SET IN CHICAGO, AND MANY OF HIS CAST MEMBERS ARE FROM CHICAGO OR THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBOURHOODS.

• TYPICAL NARRATIVES : ALL 3 OF THE THRILLERS I CHOSE DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MANN ARE USUALLY NARRATED BY A CRIMINAL AND THEY DRIVE THE PLOT. THIS MAKES THE FILM HAVE MORE DEPTH AS YOU CAN FOLLOW ONE OF THER CHARACTERS AND LEARN HOW THEY WORK AS A CHARACTER. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE THRILLER GENRE BECAUSE IT HELPS TO BUILD TENSION AND INCISE INTEREST IN THE FILM.

• MUSIC : OFTEN USES PRE-EXISTING AMBIENT MUSIC, MUSIC COMPOSED FOR OTHER FILMS (OSTS), CONTEMPORARY POP/ROCK SONGS AND/OR AVANT-GARDE MUSIC TO CREATE ECLECTIC AND OFTEN UNIQUE SOUNDTRACKS FOR HIS FILMS.

• CAMERAWORK : OFTEN HAS A SCENE OVERLOOKING A BROAD HORIZON OF SOME SORT. NEIL AND EADY STARING AT THE BRIGHT L.A. LANDSCAPE IN HEAT (1995). UNLIKE MOST DIRECTORS, LIKES TO OPERATE THE CAMERA HIMSELF TO GET MUCH OF HIS PHOTOGRAPHY, AS HE DID IN HEAT (1995), SHOOTING ALMOST 60% OF IT.