What is your ALL TIME Favorite Michael Mann film?


MrsEvanFreed

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It was difficult, but I chose Collateral.This film is well acted and shows LA at night like I've never seen it portrayed in any other film.Lost count of how many times I've watched it on cable, dvd and now BR disc. It's my pick for the best film of this decade, of any genre.10/10

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The Insider for me. Great movie. Riveting. Superbly acted, written and directed. His best film to date IMO.and Hank Weldon is in it.

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The Insider for me. Great movie. Riveting. Superbly acted' date=' written and directed. His best film to date IMO.[/quote'] Personally I think Crowe should've won the Oscar for his work in that film.Instead of Gladiator.
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Guest neworder

Heat is the best of MM films that I've seen. Collateral is a strong film. Public Enemies is very good but not as good as Heat/Collateral. Miami Vice 06 is probably the weakest MM film I've seen but I still enjoy it. Scenery & Music are on top form.

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It's a tough choice, but I have to go with Heat. Nobody had ever quite portrayed Los Angeles in such a unique way that Mann did with this film. It's the most overused city in film history but Mann incorporated locations and shots we had never seen before. It was nice to see Pacino and DeNiro operating outside their regular NYC stomping grounds, and together, too. No other director was able to achieve that ... not even Coppola or Scorcese.Heat was definitely Mann's baby, his pet project from well before MV the series ... he had a Heat script floating around from his days doing Vega$. Considering that he did L.A. Takedown as a lesser Heat and still wasn't satisfied with the result in '89, shows how committed he was to making Heat the movie he always wanted when he did release it in '95.Not to mention, IMO, it's the last great film Pacino or DeNiro ever did.

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It's funny....I just watched Collateral last night for the 2nd time in 2 years. What a gripping movie! Jamie Foxx was excellent in it, unlike MV2006. Tom Cruise is excellent too. I think Heat is a great film also, but I'll give the vote to Collateral, for its suspense. :thumbsup:P.S. Hey Tommy V. - Bruce McGill, (Weldon) is in Collateral also!

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Heat is getting most of the votes, that doesn't suprise me.It was among the three that I chose from, all the praise is well deserved.But there's just something about Collateral that made me love it a bit more.

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For me, it has to be Heat. The characterisation and acting are both superb with some brilliant action thrown in. Whether it was good direction or whether it was because of the acting talent of DeNiro and Pacino, or whether it was a mix of the two, it had me on the edge of my seat the first time I watched it wondering who would survive at the end. I still enjoy it .. all three hours worth whereas sadly I haven't managed more than 20 minutes of MV movie!

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  • 2 weeks later...

What i've seen on a scale from 1 to 10:1. Heat 92. The Insider 93. Miami Vice 84. Manhunter 85. Collateral 86. Thief 87. Public Enemies 88. The Last of the Mohicans 6

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Heat is my choice for best Michael Mann film, while Manhunter came very close to taking that top spot, Heat is a film that could be descibed as Mann's finest hour, Heat took you into the depths of the lives of both the cop and the robber and also had a pretty realistic depiction of a crime being built from the ground floor, the film's tone is unique and the brilliant use of dark colors and shadows make the film a treat to watch. The film also boasts an excellent music score especially the works from Moby and Brian Eno, not to mention the film also has flawless acting from Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, and even a small memorable role for Jon Voight.

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  • 1 year later...

I love all of Michael Mann's films (except Ali, which I STILL haven't seen...). I even love the film version of Miami Vice, although admittedly it took a few viewings to grow on me. Overall, I think Mann may be my all-time favourite film director.But if I had to pick an absolute favourite it'd be Thief. James Caan was fantastic in it, Tangerine Dream's soundtrack was awesome, it was genuinely disturbing to see the usually kindly Robert Prosky playing such a foul-mouthed, vicious mob boss, and the ending is quite possibly my favourite ending to any film, ever. It's bleak and depressing, and yet also so incredibly therapeutic to see Caan casually blowing away this guy who, by now, we REALLY want to see dead, before going to work on his henchmen. Fantastic.

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I chose "Collateral" but "Heat" is a very strong 2nd. "Heat" has to be Mann's most well known film and it was a great movie but as with all artists, they continue to improve at their craft and I think "Collateral" shows how much Mr. Mann has progressed.

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"Thief." It isn't even a contest. Such a wildly underrated film. Tangerine Dream plays the Jan Hammer role in this one, and some of the luxuriating shots of safe-cracking definitely pre-sage Vice's visual flair. Maybe Caan's best movie, too. And my God does Robert Prosky make a scary villain. He's the embodiment of amoral.

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Looking over the voting results reminds me that I still haven't seen Public Enemies yet. :o

I tried watching it, and it bored me to death.
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"Thief." It isn't even a contest. Such a wildly underrated film. Tangerine Dream plays the Jan Hammer role in this one' date=' and some of the luxuriating shots of safe-cracking definitely pre-sage Vice's visual flair. Maybe Caan's best movie, too. And my God does Robert Prosky make a scary villain. He's the embodiment of amoral.[/quote']Haha you been plagiarising my post? You picked out pretty much everything I like about that movie, and why it's also my favourite Mann film :)
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Didn't care much for "Public Enemies" either. I expected much more from a MM film.

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  • 1 year later...

I finally got round to seeing Thief and it's now one of my favourite films. I think it is the best film that Michael Mann ever made. Brilliantly directed by Mann. His signature style began here. The film looks amazing. Shot mostly at night, Chicago cityscapes, wet streets.James Caan gives a brilliant performance. The best role of his career. Even better than Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Brando and Pacino weren't around to steal the limelight from him.His character is so cool and such a badass. Robert Prosky is a revelation too. Superb performance. He appears harmless looking but there's a shocking scene where it's revealed just how evil and ruthless he is. The rest of the cast are great too, especially Vice's own John Santucci (the thief the film is based on). He's great as always. So many great scenes. The opening jewel heist underscored by Tangerine Dream is exhilarating and masterfully directed. I think it is better than Heat. For one thing, it doesn't last three hours. Secondly, it's much more interesting than Heat. Being a jewel thief requires so much more brains, skill, cunning and ingenuity than being a bank robber. Thief is a fascinating film. All Vicers should see it.Thief is a classic and Michael Mann's best film.

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Guest myonlyvice

Choosing between "Mohicans" and "Heat" is impossible. These are two of the best movies I've ever seen. He has other great ones like "Collateral" and "Insider" but those first two I mentioned are special. That bank robbery from Heat is, after all these years, still almost too intense to watch, and I've seen it 100 times. I love the soundtrack from Mohicans and how the characters are always running. Some really brutal combat scenes in it as well. They really get you amped. Actually both movies have scenes like this. I'm shocked there's not more support for Mohicans on here. Oh well.

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