UPDATE: Universal has informed us that these are not official images from the film.
Just when the wait for a 2015 jam-packed with tentpole blockbuster after tentpole blockbuster seemed like it couldn’t feel any longer, the first images of Michael Mann’s highly anticipated Cyber have hit the web.
The pictures, as seen below, show Chris Hemsworth and Holt McCallany in what seems to be a dockyard filled with shipping containers. It’s worth noting that the shots are vaguely reminiscent (in our minds anyway) of the classic conclusion to Mann’s Al Pacino/Robert De Niro epic Heat.
Not much is known about the director’s latest effort other than it centers on the Chinese and American forces co-operating to bring down the culprits of a large-scale computer hacking scheme. We’re not even sure about the title – a tweet from McCallany suggests it may be called Black Hat now. Regardless, we’re still really excited for the film. Such is the power of Michael Mann that he can stir up such incredible buzz with minimal work on his end. That’s purely due to his skill as a filmmaker and the impact his movies have had on Hollywood, as well as the international film industry.
If you need some examples of his successes in the past, consider Manhunter. Many regard Mann’s vision of Hannibal Lecter in that film to be far superior than Brett Ratner’s version of the same story (Red Dragon). Some (myself included) would go as far as saying it stands alongside The Silence of the Lambs – at least in terms of sheer suspense and drawn-out tension. The aforementioned Heat set the standard for the police drama genre, raising it to an unprecedented level by being just as much about the characters as it is about sprawling, nail-biting action sequences. Take these films, alongside works such as Collateral (which contains the most visceral Tom Cruise performance to date), and you’ll really start to get a feel for the tremendous power and quality that Mann packs into his celluloid efforts.
That being said, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the veteran director. His TV show Luck – based on the dog-eat-dog world of horse racing – was axed due to the deaths of horses on set. Also, his reboot of Miami Vice was something of a bore, and his take on the story of legendary criminal John Dillinger, Public Enemies, was an entertaining but ultimately hollow shell of a film.
Still, we really believe in Mann. He’s a hugely talented director and Cyber, if that is indeed still the film’s name, looks like it could be one of his best yet. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until January 16th, 2015 to find out just how good it really is.
