Blackhat (2015) Arrow 4K Blu-ray Review

Plot: Michael Mann (Thief, Collateral), the acclaimed auteur celebrated for his action panache and commitment to cinematic realism, turns his hand to depicting the high-stakes world of global cybercrime in Blackhat, a contemporary, ripped-from-the-headlines twist on the espionage thriller.

Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers, Extraction) stars as Nick Hathaway, a gifted hacker currently serving a lengthy prison sentence. When a Hong Kong nuclear plant goes into meltdown after its security is penetrated, Chinese army cybersecurity captain Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang, Lust, Caution) offers his old college roommate a deal: help identify and apprehend the culprit in exchange for his own freedom. What follows is a frenetic, globe-trotting race against time to avert disaster, fraught with hidden agendas and ever-shifting loyalties.

Praised for its unusually accurate portrayal of cybersecurity, Blackhat boasts an impressive international cast, including Tang Wei (Decision to Leave), Viola Davis (The Woman King) and Yorick van Wageningen (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and showcases one of cinema’s finest filmmakers bringing the skills he honed during a long and storied career to bear on a distinctly 21st-century phenomenon.

Review: Although not up there with the likes of Heat, Collateral or Thief, I have grown to really enjoy Michael Mann’s Blackhat despite its flaws.

This movie does have some pacing issues at times and some of the dialogue is hard to make out (which is a common complaint with some Mann films) but aside from that, Blackhat is pretty much your classic Michael Mann crime thriller. It feels like it could easily take place in the same Manniverse as Collateral and Miami Vice especially with the kind of gritty visuals and camerawork used.

As with the majority of Mann films technically it’s flawless; there are few directors who can make nighttime look so good and Blackhat is beautifully shot with amazing aerial photography and a genuine sense of realism.

It’s an adult-oriented action thriller which doesn’t insult the intelligence of the audience and has stellar performances from all involved. This was the first time I saw Chris Hemsworth outside of the MCU and he did a believable job of portraying Nick Hathaway, which is one of his more interesting roles. Hemsworth apparently did a lot of research and training for this role; he genuinely learned about writing code and hacking, exploring the world of the movie.

Admittedly, I do find scenes involving coding and hacking a little dry and it’s hard to keep the tension going however, I do find the concept of cybersecurity quite terrifying with just how easy it is to type in some computer codes and make things fall apart so quickly.

Viola Davis never disappoints as Barrett; she was incredibly sympathetic and felt very real too. For her role, Viola apparently visited Michele Leonhart at the DEA and learned about women in law enforcement and attitudes, so she could be completely immersed in the role.

I always look forward to hearing the music in a Michael Mann film as it is usually so important in creating the atmosphere. Interestingly enough with Blackhat composer Harry Gregson-Williams complained that his score was barely used in the film and was replaced at the last minute. The soundtrack is actually a bit disappointing and not up there with Heat or Collateral which I think have incredible music. Certain moments of the score do still stick in my head. I loved the music that played as Hathaway is in the taxi with Chen Lien (Wei Tang); he stares at the back of her neck and her body, and the scene is incredibly sensual without being over the top sexy.

It’s great to see Andy On who plays Alex Trang in a big Hollywood movie, who you’ll know from Once Upon a Time in Shanghai and Special I.D.

As with most Michael Man films the shoot-outs in this movie are incredible. The action highlight is the tunnel shoot-out which is deafening and thrilling at the same time. Mann makes shoot-outs sound amazing, and this is no different; there are several moments where the action is just breathtaking, and the finale is thoroughly satisfying too. The fight scenes are brutal and the restaurant showdown is another highlight. Mann isn’t afraid to make death look scary and the violence shocking as it should be.

Special Features:

• Three cuts of the film, including the home video premiere of Michael Mann’s re-imagined director’s cut

• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andrew Graves

DISC ONE – THE US AND INTERNATIONAL VERSIONS (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the US and international versions of the film
• Original lossless 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
• Firewall – brand new video interview with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh
• Zero Day Threat – brand new video interview with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas
• The Cyber Threat, On Location Around the World and Creating Reality – three archival behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film
• Image gallery

DISC TWO – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (BLU-RAY) [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of Michael Mann’s director’s cut of the film
• Original lossless 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

As stated above, this Arrow 4K has 3 alternate cuts of the film including the re-imagined Director’s Cut. The opening scene is 3 minutes longer than the theatrical release, and starts with the hacking attack on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, rather than the Hong Kong nuclear plant attack, which has been moved to the middle of the film. There is a huge piece on IMDb exploring all the various differences in the multiple cuts of the film.

The film has a gritty visual style, so I personally don’t see much benefit in 4K here, but the audio is better, and I find the dialogue far easier to understand too.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of this film (but are a Mann completist) then this set is a must-have to the collection as Blackhat is worthy of a reappraisal.

Overall, Blackhat does have some pacing issues and it’s hard to make scenes with computers exciting, but thankfully the performances are first-rate, and the action is as visceral as you’d expect from Michael Mann. There are hours worth of special features including 3 cuts of the film making this an almost necessary addition to your physical media collection.