The “stale” genre Michael Mann refuses to watch: “I’m just bored by it”
If you said that Michael Mann is one of the greatest directors of all time, most people wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
The auteur’s films don’t always make the most money, see 2023’s Ferrari, but they are mostly of the highest quality, which has led him to be crowned a four-time Oscar nominee who has worked with some of the very best and biggest names in the industry. However, if you want to focus on his specific accomplishments, then look no further than the impact he’s had on action cinema.
The Chicago-born director has been producing well-made, exciting action fare since day one. One of his earliest releases, Thief, starred James Caan as a former safecracker trying to escape his criminal existence, and because he was James Caan, he actually learned how to crack safes for real.
Arguably, his biggest and best contribution to the genre is 1995’s high-octane crime romp Heat, an unapologetic, balls-to-the-wall thriller pitting Robert De Niro against Al Pacino that is widely cited as a pinnacle of the genre. A sequel has been in the works for a long time, although maybe some things should be left in the past.
If Heat 2 does ever happen, it won’t have much in the way of competition, if the director is to be believed. In an interview with Total Film, Mann discussed the possibility of a sequel to one of his biggest achievements, which then led to a discussion about modern action cinema, which he feels is lacking.
“I’m just bored by it,” Mann confessed, “It’s not very interesting. I mean, sometimes the choreography is so outrageous that it’s fascinating, and it is quite good. But generally, no. It’s just stale”.
Mann made these comments in 2022, and there were some stinkers that year. Idris Elba starred in Beast, a completely disposable movie in which his character fights a massive lion for 90 minutes. The worst of the worst has to be Bullet Train, Brad Pitt’s ‘comedy’ assassin romp that wasn’t funny, wasn’t interesting, and wasn’t much of anything. That being said, this was also the year that gave us Top Gun: Maverick, one of the freshest takes on the action blockbuster in decades.
I must admit, I’m not a great lover of action cinema, but even I think Mann’s comments are a bit harsh. For every well-reviewed action movie, there are at least ten copycats that drag the genre through the mud, and that has been true throughout history. However, recent years have seen the format expand to include cultures and heroes that wouldn’t have had a look in just a few decades earlier, such as Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa and Dev Patel in Monkey Man, standing as examples of why the genre is more interesting than ever.
With Heat 2 scheduled to begin filming in 2026, Mann will soon find himself in direct competition with the “boring” modern action films he slagged off with such glee. It’s one thing to make these comments from the safety of an interview, but only time will tell if he will hold up under the spotlight.
