Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Blackhat Blu-ray Movie Review

GIGO.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 12, 2015

Michael Mann's most timely film may also be his least impressive. The acclaimed filmmaker's (The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, Collateral) cyber-crime Thriller Blackhat tackles the dangerous, and largely unseen, world of cyber terrorism and digital manipulation for personal gain, but it does so as soullessly as the machines that make it happen. Worse, the characters are nearly as vapid and are practically vaporware in the larger scheme of things, shells full of promise and potential that fall victim to bad code, incompatibility, and generally sluggish performance. Silly but relevant computer analogies aside, Blackhat fails to capture the imagination, playing with a heavy-handed procedural feel as it methodically and without passion maneuvers through basic genre trope, interspersed with glimpses of Mann magic, largely bay way of expertly staged and lifelike shootouts and a general top-end exterior craftsmanship.

The future of warfare.

A computer hack brings down a Chinese nuclear reactor. The government is desperate to trace the perpetrators and is forced to work with the Americans who also suffered an attack but were able to divert it before disaster could strike. It is revealed that a RAT -- Remote Access Tool -- served as the hackers' weapon of choice, and it's also revealed that it was written by a Chinese military officer named Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang) and an old acquaintance, the brilliant and now incarcerated Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth). Hathaway negotiates himself out of prison when his help is requested. Working with Dawai, Dawai's sister Chen Lien (Tang Wei), and FBI Agent Carol Barrett (Viola Davis), Hathaway pieces together a larger cyber scheme that puts everyone's lives in danger.

Blackhat gradually loses steam as it pushes forward, starting strong with a fascinating blend of cyber terror meets the Fukushima meltdown in the opening minutes (complete with some almost comically dated-in-appearance digital effects depicting the intimate ins-and-outs of circuit boards) and winding down in the buildup to the climax. The film certainly holds a base interest by way of its core story details, but every support element falls flat and plays with procedural, lifeless, stiff details whereby the action stems from one of two avenues of entry: Mann's lifelike, but therefore visually dull, gunplay, and various bits of characters in front of computer monitors typing away and analyzing data -- bits of code, hidden messages -- that will mean nothing to 99.99% of audiences, representing the worst of present-day technobabble that's more inaccessible than even the fictitious bits of gabbing nonsense that spills out of speakers in practically every episode of Star Trek. Worse, the movie feels bloated and bogged down by needlessly involved character relationships, including a burgeoning romance that's the primary culprit in a frenzy of intersecting elements, none of which stand apart, and that result in a movie that's tone-deaf to its own strengths, playing up secondary and ancillary bits rather than focusing on the meatiest and tastiest pieces, many of which are the beneficiaries of solid foundations but the victims of light exploration in favor of other trifling matters. There's a fine movie buried deep inside Blackhat, but even a master manipulator like Michael Mann cannot overcome the bloatware that destroys the fun.

Just as disappointing is the collection of stiff, largely disinterested performances that range from empty to indifferent with very little spice or concern evident. That's partly due to the disappointingly dull and unimaginative characters but also an obvious disconnect with the leads who all seem content to sleepwalk through the movie, whether at the keyboard, in a shootout, in bed together, or brainstorming the issues. None of the characters find any depth and none of the actors are, by extension, given much with which to work. Chris Hemsworth's Hathaway is a stock computer genius who also happens to look like someone capable of portraying an alien deity who wields a powerful hammer. Hemsworth is just good enough to make the character feel believable in his many purists, whether pounding the keyboard, pulling the trigger, or pleasing the lady, but there's an obvious disconnect with the rest of the character who is merely "man capable of doing what the plot requires" without presenting the audience with adequate reason to care. All of the support performances are equally, if not more so, devoid of life. Viola Davis, for example, appears ready to take a nap in every scene. It's a tired, disconnected bunch that seems to realize the futility of trying to work with characters who basically don't exist beyond the movie's core requirements.

Blackhat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blackhat's 1080p transfer enjoys solid production all around but it never reaches the heights of format greatness. The movie plays with a somewhat flat feel about it. Even brighter scenes aren't dazzling, settling for a solid color foundation and good general definition. The palette is fairly pedestrian with some splashes of brighter coloring in dense city signage and bright green radiation suits but is otherwise heavy on the dull side with only solid basic coloring at the core. Details are likewise solid but not eye-popping in presentation. Faces reveal good amounts of intimate lines and pores and clothes are likewise wells defined, whether more basic T-shirt fabric textures or more precise and complex heavy military uniform lines. Skin tones don't struggle too much with wayward coloring but blacks tend to waver a bit between slight crush and mild paleness. A moderate amount of noise interferes with some of the darker backdrops.

Blackhat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Blackhat features an oftentimes impressive but occasionally misfiring DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. On the plus side, the track offers a big, wide stage that handles subtle effects and large, dense elements equally well. Whether light sounds of modern communication maneuvering through the stage in the opening moments or deep, heavy gunfire echoing through an enclosed space midway through the movie, there's an unmistakable sense of welcome fullness and vitality to the track. Minor street level ambience helps set the stage for the film's more densely populated locations, while larger open air shootouts are defined by hard-hitting gunfire and realistic impacts in flesh and metal surfaces. Explosions are also potent and deliver a healthy bit of energy into the stage. The track can get a little rattly at the very bottom, however. Dialogue is, surprisingly, the most inconsistent element. It seems to drop out momentarily at the 4:36 mark (repeatable on rewind), as it also does later during some "pillow talk" around the 45-minute mark that's more a fading effect than a full drop. There are several occurrences when dialogue simply sounds detached (the 19-minute marks being good examples, particularly as the man with whom Hathaway is speaking seems dubbed over when the camera's pointed at an over-the-shoulder angle). There's a general unevenness to verbal cadence throughout the movie that can become a distraction.

Blackhat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blackhat contains three featurettes. Inside the Blu-ray case, buyers will find a DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy.

• The Cyber Threat (1080p, 13:02): Cast, crew, and experts discuss the real world of hacking and the threat of cyber terror and how it's all depicted in the film, interspersed with clips from the movie.
• On Location Around the World (1080p, 9:30): A look at the importance of real locations over manufactured sets and an overview of the key locations found throughout the film.
• Creating Reality (1080p, 17:01): A discussion of how building authentic characters from the ground-up benefits the film.

Blackhat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blackhat is easily the most disappointing and frustrating film in the otherwise good-to-brilliant Michael Mann canon. On one hand, the movie is timely and feels like it should be important, have something to say, offer something to get the audience swept up in the very real dangers of behind-the-scenes hacking. With the flat characters, dull story, and failure to connect with the audience, it feels like the writers spent more time AFK than working on the script. Maybe Mann can release a patch somewhere down the line in the form of a director's cut that tightens the movie, but as it is now it's bloatware with little in the way of substance to offer. Universal's Blu-ray release features good, but not great, video and audio. Supplements are few. Rent it.