Michael Mann's Good, Bad and Ugly

[Gabriel Girard]

G : Heat

B: Ali/Public Enemies

U: Miami Vice. I haven't seen The Keep and Vice is the only Mann film I couldn't get into at all. It probably needs a rewatch.

[Dan Mancini]

Good: Miami Vice—My real "good" is Heat, but I figure most everyone'll pick it and Vice gets no love. It's everything I expected and wanted: a Michael Mann crime flick about undercover cops that maintains all the key elements of the show without being slavishly devoted. The dead serious tone, high-sheen cool, fabulously expensive cars, boats, and guns, and insane climactic gun battle are all spot-on.

Bad: Public Enemies—An uncommon Mann effort in that it's so...ordinary.

Ugly: The Keep—I just...I can't...

[Mitchell Hattaway]

Good: The Insider

Bad: Ali

Ugly: The Keep

[Gabriel Girard]

Good: Miami Vice—My real "good" is Heat, but I figure most everyone'll pick it and Vice gets no love. It's everything I expected and wanted: a Michael Mann crime flick about undercover cops that maintains all the key elements of the show without being slavishly devoted. The dead serious tone, high-sheen cool, fabulously expensive cars, boats, and guns, and insane climactic gun battle are all spot-on.

I won't argue that it's a very well made film and that it accomplishes what it sets out to do, it just left me cold.

[Dan Mancini]

Good: Miami Vice—My real "good" is Heat, but I figure most everyone'll pick it and Vice gets no love. It's everything I expected and wanted: a Michael Mann crime flick about undercover cops that maintains all the key elements of the show without being slavishly devoted. The dead serious tone, high-sheen cool, fabulously expensive cars, boats, and guns, and insane climactic gun battle are all spot-on.

I won't argue that it's a very well made film and that it accomplishes what it sets out to do, it just left me cold.

I totally get that reaction...and I'd probably share it if it wasn't Miami Vice. But the show was enormously popular when I was a high school underclassmen, I have fond memories of it, and emotional detachment was just part of its vibe (Crockett and Tubbs were not dudes who had a sense of humor about themselves; they were 100% bui'ness).

[cdouglas]

Good: Heat (though I agree completely with Dan's take on Miami Vice).

Bad: Public Enemies - Some strong elements here, but it's pretty depressing to consider what this one could have been. If only the entire film had been as strong as the final scene between Stephen Lang and Marion Cotillard.

Ugly: Ali - The only Mann film which has more or less left me completely cold (despite an excellent Will Smith performance). He doesn't seem to have any feel for the material. The other reason this is here: I actually kinda dig The Keep.

[mavrach]

Good: The Insider - Think of how dull this movie would have been if it were directed by anybody else. I didn't watch this until last year, because the idea of a corporate whistleblower just didn't sound like the 3 hours of tension that Mann made it into.

Bad: Collateral - Just about perfect, aside from some Hollywood cliches thrown in, namely just about everything surrounding Jada Pinkett-Smith's character. The romance is forced in a movie that shouldn't have one. And I still think it's too much of a coincidence that she's the final target. Even though Vincent was casing the joint when Max picked him up, what are the odds that in that whole building full of people he would've happened to have the same fare as the target? And that target also just happened to be an attractive black female who has great chemistry with Max? I don't think they knew how to end this movie.

Ugly: Miami Vice - The only Mann movie I never made it through. I want to give this another fair day in court though.


Am I the only person who liked The Keep? I mean it wasn't perfect or close to his best, but I had fun with it. Was I in a good mood that day or something??