Part of me still hopes Universal/Legendary pulls Michael Mann's “Blackhat” into the season. It's probably not an awards movie but I just want to see it sooner, OK? Mann stumbled for many on “Public Enemies” but I was a fan and I'm looking forward to him getting back on the horse anyway, and a hacker thriller with Chris Hemsworth sounds like a nifty remedy. A newly released trailer, meanwhile, finally gives us a better look at the whole enterprise.
One of the things I've been very curious about is Mann's collaboration with DP Stuart Dryburgh here. Outside of a stint with the ubiquitous Emmanuel Lubezki on “Ali” and the digital exploratory stuff on “Collateral” and “Miami Vice” with Dion Beebe, Mann has mostly stuck with longtime collaborator Dante Spinotti behind the camera. Dryburgh shot the “Luck” pilot for Mann and I've always enjoyed his work on films like “The Painted Veil” and, yes, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” The advance of digital filmmaking has progressed to an insane place in the 10 years since Mann and company first helped to shove it there with “Collateral,” and the imagery here is great, colorful like “Skyfall,” which is clearly a bit of a visual touchstone as of late.
Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think.
“Blackhat” hits theaters Jan. 16, 2015.