In Defense of: Blackhat (spoilers abound)

Rated R

133 minutes

Directed by Michael Mann

I don't have much experience with Michael Mann. I've only seen 2 of his films, this and The Last of the Mohicans, so I'm not an expert on Mann. Based on this, however, he seems to be underrated to an extent. This movie has a 31% on RT, and while I don't normally reference other critics in my reviews, this one seems to be calling to be re-appraised. So while this review is going to skim over some of the weaknesses I had with it, it should be known that I didn't outright love this film. With that out of the way, let's jump in to the review. This review will only cover 3 aspects in detail, by the way.

First off, the action is phenomenal. Every single action scene is hard-wired to a tee, and it definitely shows. That first main action sequence is one of the best I've ever seen. It's tense, it's shot magnificently, and it remains interesting by asserting that the stakes are very real by killing off a character we knew nothing about. The second shootout starts abruptly by having a car explode. It was a great way to reincorporate the knowledge we had earlier about there being a bomb attached to the brother's car, and again, it's a well-constructed action sequence that maintains a level of realism by killing off 3 out of 5 main protagonists. Finally, the final action sequence was contained and precise, with enough symbolism by the way of the people not caring about the conflict and its resolution as long as they get what they want.

Secondly, it's technically amazing. The sound design cuts deep, as it emphasizes each bullet fired impressively. The sound system was a joy to behold, and I'm so glad I caught this in theaters before it was too late, because that sound design was worth the price of admission alone. The cinematography was above average, as that 'inside a computer' scene was staged was very impressive. In a few short minutes the cinematography lets us know that this one little blip can cause such major damage. It was quite impressive, and it was a great way to set up the stakes.

Thirdly, the romance was alright. Now, I said before that this review is going to call out things that I think were great, and better than what critics gave it credit for. While the romance is by no means outstanding, it was good enough that it didn't deserve the level of hate from critics it seemed to get. It was developed well enough, and the fact that it didn't divert from the main story was a great way to apply it, as filler, but worthwhile filler. It wasn't anybody's top priority in the film, but it was there enough that it didn't feel worthless, and not there enough that it didn't divert from what was happening.

In the end, this movie was much better than it was given credit for. It wasn't great, as it was a bit hard to follow and the first act was a bit lacking, But, there were beams of greatness in it, and I'm really happy I went ahead and saw it. 

3.5/5

B