The iconic film Michael Mann calls a “masterpiece”
Michael Mann is a singular presence within the landscape of American cinema. Known for his fantastic films such as Thief and Heat, Mann has created psychologically complex portraits of American society through the use of incredibly stylish neo-noir frameworks.
Mann has been busy with numerous projects this year, including a new crime drama series, Tokyo Vice, which stars Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe. Elgort plays the role of an American journalist in Japan who is guided by Watanabe’s character as he embarks on a dangerous quest to expose the yakuza.
In addition, Mann has also claimed that he is currently working on a sequel for Heat which will be grander than the original. While some fans are hesitant about witnessing a modern revival of one of their favourite films, which starred Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, Mann is confident in his vision.
Although Mann has fashioned an instantly recognisable visual style, he has been influenced by many iconic filmmakers over the years. During the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, the director submitted his list of ten favourite films, which consisted of works by directors like Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.
As a part of the commentary, Mann also showered praise upon John Ford. He said: “My Darling Clementine is possibly the finest drama in the western genre, with a stunningly subjective Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda). It achieves near-perfection cinematically in many of its passages via its blocking, shooting and editing”.
However, Mann cited a Francis Ford Coppola gem as his favourite of all time. Arguably Coppola’s magnum opus, Apocalypse Now, is the definitive cinematic rendition of the horrors of the Vietnam War. By contextualising it within the narrative structure of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Coppola attempted to make one of the most ambitious films in history and succeeded.
While justifying his selection, Mann declared: “Coppola evoked the high-voltage, dark identity quest, journeying into overload; the wildness and nihilism – all captured in operatic and concrete narrative, with the highest degree of difficulty. A masterpiece”.
