This movie wizard, who is also a producer, director, and screenwriter, was born in Chicago in 1943. Like many other directors who are struggling to get ahead, he first produced episodes for the TV station and immersed himself in writing movie scripts. The experience of this period will undoubtedly have a profound impact on Michael's subsequent film career. Because of his background in TV series, Michael’s films always take into account the audience’s feelings, and will not be the love of the film critics. He produced almost all police and robber dramas for the TV station, showing the director’s view of the genre. Interest and talent. In 1979, Michael Mann directed the tube and filmed the well-deserved "The Jericho Mile" (The Jericho Mile). Later, he filmed "Thief" (Thief, 1981) and "The Keep" (The Keep, 1983), but the response was mediocre. In 1986, Michael Man finally gained fame with "Manhunter" (Manhunter, 1986), a thriller based on Thomas Harris' novel "Red Dragon" (prequel to "The Silent Lamb") , Played by Brian Cox as the cannibal doctor Hannibal. After that, Michael went all the way and directed the familiar "The Last of the Mohicans" (The Last of the Mohicans, 1992), "Heat" (1995), and "The Insider" (The Insider, 1999). ), "Ali" (Ali, 2001) and "Collateral" (Collateral), became the first-line Hollywood director.
Michael Mann is a director who believes in slow work and meticulous work. From filming to the present 25 years, he has only released 9 movies. This academic-looking old man's attention to detail is well known and cannot bear any flaws in the film. In a shootout between police and bandit in "The Line of Fire", the director invited officers from the British Air Force Special Forces to give guidance. It took 7 months to plan the shootout scenes alone. There is also a popular legend that Michael Mann once asked a nearby airport to change the take-off route of a plane in order to take a good shot. Before he starred in "Ali", Smith needed to receive a year of professional boxing training and take away dozens of pounds to gain weight. In "Killing with Borrowing a Knife", in order to make the color of the taxi in the film fit his own vision, the director confirmed it after many spray painting and lighting tests, and the audience may not pay attention to these small details. Cruise, who has only a few action shots in the film, also has to undergo rigorous fighting training. Poor Brother Atang is often beaten. As for NG with hundreds of shots, it is often commonplace and drives the actor crazy. Of course, everything is worth it, because it is Michael Man who controls them.
Today is an era where the streets are clamoring for "author movies". Many directors can’t wait to treat movies as their diaries. The actors are nothing but chess pieces in God’s hands. Hitchcock’s famous saying "Actors are all beasts" is not The motto of the masters of the young pseudo-puppets, it seems that if they don't do this, they will not show their supreme authority and awesomeness. In fact, in a movie, if an actor shows too outstanding personal charm, it is indeed not a good thing to take the audience's attention and the director's limelight completely. But Michael Man seems to be confident, he gave the actors the most adequate interpretation space, the actor's performance has become one of the most attractive characteristics of his film. De Niro has played countless gang bosses, but the sentimental and righteous Neil in "Stealing Fire" has a special flavor and makes people feel amazing (I regret that I overlooked the equally outstanding Al Pacino, but he In this movie, it's just an inertial performance). Russell Crowe has tried a similar role in "L.A. Confidential" who has a sense of justice but is constantly troubled by personal temperament, but he performed the American middle class after dyeing his white hair in "Inside Explosion" Relying on his slightly trembling hands, awkward walking posture and hesitant eyes, he completed the most memorable performance in his acting career. Before the emergence of "Boxing King Ali", who would have thought that Will Smith, who has always been very funny, could play the "Butterfly Wearing Flowers" Ali, who is proud of all beings on the ring, into a three-pointer? After performing "The Last Mohican", Lewis became a veritable actor with a thousand faces, and playing any role is a familiar bird. As for Tom Cruise, well, it would be too mean to position him as an idol pie who eats on his face. After all, Tom Cruise has also performed movies like "Born on July 4th" and "Born on the Eyes". , His vision for film selection is first-rate, but his lack of creativity and penetrating power in acting should be regarded as an indisputable fact. The lone killer in "Killing with Borrowed Knife" is a big breakthrough for him (although it seems a bit stupid and stiff). There is no doubt about the strength of the actors themselves, but without the help of Michael Mann’s wonderful tuning and the camera that always appears at the right angle, they would not look so dazzling.
Michael Mann’s movies always wander between art and commerce, firmly grasping the precarious balance line. The confrontation between good and evil in "Stealing Fire" has been everywhere in Hong Kong movies in the 1980s, but Michael Mann took this vulgar subject matter into an epic temperament-a three-hour movie. Long, a lot of inner drama, the police’s soul is as painful as his three-time divorced family, torn apart; the thief’s heart is similar to his unfurnished house, lonely and empty; the two parallel lines cannot be like those Thousands of ordinary urbanites are just as satisfied with the life of barbecue, playing football, and lying on the sofa watching TV. Whether it is a sweet love or a sudden murder, the background symphony is a brightly lit city behind people. Fate is unpredictable, this is the background color of life. This is the case with Michael Man’s movie. He tells you a very interesting story. The characters have strong emotional conflicts, the action scenes are exciting, and they are not lacking in drama. They can mobilize the audience’s wonderful viewing experience; but the film often has a long aftertaste. It makes you feel a little urge to say something after reading it.
The director's heart is always outside the movie. "Breaking Inside", one is a senior producer who insists on freedom of the press, and the other is a corporate executive who constantly cuts off moral fetters. Both of them are trapped in their own professional principles, so they are forced to the sharpest position by fate. They need them. Making perhaps the most difficult choice in life. In this movie without the slightest hot scene, Michael Mann’s control of the film’s rhythm is perfect, except for the slightly dull opening section (this is also a consistent feature of Michael Mann’s movies, allowing you to get better), the whole film There is almost no unnecessary nonsense and unnecessary scenes. All the plots revolve around the choice of the two protagonists. Society, work, and family continue to put more and more pressure on the two, and the audience’s hearts are also raised more and more. Come higher. Fortunately, the ending is still American-style personal heroism, and all justice-related choices are not useless efforts. Perhaps the message that the director wants to convey is nothing more than this: living a life with principles and strategies is not that simple; but if you stick to it (or go one way to the dark?), then you may have something to gain. Yes, maybe. What can give us a little comfort is that this movie, which won the Humanitarian Award in the film and television industry that year, is based on real events and is not a castle in the sky that the creators wished.
Michael Mann is always attached to the wonderful relationship between the city and the people: In the brightly lit modern city, why the relationship between people is getting estranged day by day, and why can everyone feel the loneliness that cannot be removed? In "Killing with a Knife", the street lights in Los Angeles are getting brighter and brighter, but loneliness is endless. Everyone is like the lone wolf walking slowly through the city streets. Communication cannot be achieved. . So where is the way of salvation? Everyone has a yearning Maldives in their hearts. The difference is that some people only dare to go in their dreams, while some people really go. The driver of the black buddy played by Jamie Fox really made his mark at the end of the film, but what happened after that? He may still not be able to reach his Maldives, because he cannot be as carefree as a white-haired killer, he is too normal-then what does this movie want to say? Hey, a person died on the subway in Los Angeles early in the morning, do you think anyone would know?
After talking for a long time, it seemed to say nothing. Michael Mann’s films are hard to talk about. He is not a new wave of tricks. The theory is stretched here, and the feeling may be close to the truth. In any case, for the writer of such a modern urban epic, we seem to pay more attention to him.
2005·2·6
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