Penélope Cruz’s Ferocious ‘Ferrari’ Performance Revs Up Oscar Prospects For Michael Mann’s Latest
variety.comGuy Lodge Film Critic Among all working U.S. filmmakers, few have built as faithful and fervent a following of critics and cinephiles as Michael Mann.
Mann’s acolytes have secured such sleekly hard-boiled genre works as “Thief” and “Heat” a permanent place in the American canon, while staunchly advocating for the merits of more divisive titles like “Blackhat” and “Miami Vice” — the latter, released to mixed reviews and moderate box office in 2006, today attracts reverent crowds at repertory screenings.
Such is the power of Mann’s men (and women): At 80, Mann has made just 12 films in a career spanning five decades, but his legacy is wholly secure.
The Academy, however, has never quite joined the cult. Only once has a Mann film connected with a wide swath of Oscar voters: That would be 1999’s scorching Big Tobacco takedown “The Insider,” a box-office disappointment that nonetheless boasted enough artistry and gravitas to land seven nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director — only to lose them all, dented in part by a controversy over alleged factual distortions that haven’t outlasted the film’s reputation.
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