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Many Mann fans associate his works with Los Angeles and the crime genre. Granted, some of his best does make great use of the city just as they’re members of said genre, but it’s a testament to his range that such is not always the case. Which of his works stand high above the others? Let’s unpack his whole filmography.
12) The Keep
After a directorial debut that is more explicitly his, Mann went for a World War II-set psychological horror movie that, unfortunately, escapes your memory as soon as you finish it. Which is strange, considering it’s so bizarre.
Some of the visuals within the film’s fortress locale are intriguing, and there’s much to be said for its ambition, but it very much feels like a product that suffered under the hands of behind-the-scenes tinkering. And that makes sense, because Mann’s original cut was three and a half hours, which Paramount Made him shave down to 120 minutes, which was then cut down to 96 minutes. The result is a mess that makes you wish the full directors cut still existed, which it doesn’t.
11) Ali
Mann has had a proclivity for real life figures for quite some time now. And, when he does focus on a historical figure, it’s for the best that he focuses on them in a way that incorporates other elements, like how Public Enemies is a stylish retro gangster picture and how The Insider is a tension-building thriller.
Ali is a straightforward biopic, and an incredibly drawn-out one at that. Will Smith delivers some of the best work of his career, but he can’t save what is ultimately a pretty dry (though ambitious) cinematic retelling of a legend’s life. That said, the boxing sequences are suitably visceral.
Stream Ali on YouTube TV.
10) Miami Vice
There were rumors a year back that Joseph Kosinski would be rebooting Miami Vice for the big screen, but the show’s executive producer already showed that it works more as a small screen product of its time. The 2006 movie version has developed a fanbase over time, but there really is nothing about it that stands apart from more engrossing undercover cop movies.
What’s odd about Miami Vice is that it plays as more convoluted than its plot really is. It’s not even a twisty drug bust movie, but it manages to confuse the audience as to what exactly is going on in multiple spots. Furthermore, while Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas breathed life into Crockett and Tubbs, Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell aren’t quite able to make them anything other than a pair of stoic cops.
9) Ferrari
Ferrari is, thus far, Mann’s only film of the 2020s, and just as Blackhat was his only film of the 2010s, it’s a sign that his best work is behind him. However, it still has its merits, slight as they are.
It’s a pretty standard biopic, but it benefits from the aspects that often benefit such things. Primarily, Adam Driver gives the movie his all and it’s consistently all the better for it. But it’s rarely a story that is interesting enough to make the viewer feel as though it was worthy of the investment. That said, the drone shots for the driving sequences, which aren’t plentiful enough, are stellar.
Stream Ferrari on Hulu.
8) Blackhat
Like Miami Vice, Blackhat has become a bit of a cult movie. But, unlike most cult movies, which are fast paced and ludicrous, this one is slow and dead serious. It has that distinct Mann visual and tonal style, but it is sorely lacking in scenes that really get your fist pumping or heart racing.
It’s not hard to see why this one flopped so hard at the box office. It had a massive price tag and it’s hard to see where those tens of millions of dollars really went. There’s a lot of people sitting in front of computers in this movie talking about other people with computers. It’s not the most enthralling crime movie stuff, even if its few action sequences do have the intimate camerawork and unpredictability that help elevate Mann’s best works.
Stream Blackhat on Prime Video.
7) Public Enemies
As far as period piece crime movies go, Public Enemies ranks pretty high, at least as far as post-2000 output goes. It’s also the second-best member of its genre featuring Johnny Depp, ranking above Blow and Black Mass but below the emotionally richer Donnie Brasco.
Public Enemies coasts on its recreation of 1930s America, the strength of the ensemble cast’s performances, and go-for-broke shootout sequences. It’s a little more style than substance, but overall, the balance is satisfyingly even.
Stream Public Enemies on Cinemax.
6) The Last of the Mohicans
Six years after Manhunter, Mann kicked off his ’90s filmography with something entirely unlike his projects before or since. And, while it’s not quite on par with Heat and The Insider, The Last of the Mohicans is still wildly impressive and features one of the best performances by Daniel Day-Lewis which is, of course, no small compliment.
Like Braveheart, this is a ’90s period piece that shortens the audience on neither brutal action nor organic character development. It’s also consistently bolstered by wonderful cinematography thanks to Dante Spinotti.
