While many intriguing films will vie for the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival, Michael Mann‘s “Ferrari” may be at the top of the list. It’s Mann’s first film since 2015’s “Blackhat,” the first outright flop of Mann’s career since 1983’s “The Keep.” That’s a strange lapse for a director among today’s most esteemed American filmmakers.
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But EW reports (via Variety) that Mann takes the blame for “Blackhat” not working for critics and audiences. “It’s my responsibility,” the director told the outlet in his singularly curt style. “The script was not ready to shoot.” “Blackhat” stars Chris Hemsworth as a hacker released from prison to help track down other cyber-terrorists manipulating stock options around soy and tin for loads of money. The film bombed hard upon release in January 2015, making only $19.7 million globally off a $70 million budget. And while some enjoyed the movie (The Playlist wrote a favorable review of it then), many critics found its plot too complicated and unbelievable.
But while Mann recognizes the film’s faults, he still thinks “Blackhat” has its merits. In fact, he thinks it may receive a better reception if it were released today. “The subject may have been ahead of the curve, because there were a number of people who thought this was all fantasy,” Mann said about the film’s story. “Wrong. Everything is stone-cold accurate.” Remember that “Blackhat” was released before many feared that Russian hackers may have influenced the 2016 US Presidential elections. There’s also the 2021 GameStop short squeeze stock manipulation, which became a viral news story for the tactic’s effectiveness and its fallout on Wall Street. Both events give the criminal activity in “Blackhat” more credibility, even if they remain decidedly uncommon to the everyday viewer.
But “Blackhat” still has Mann in the creative hot seat. After its commercial failure, he needs “Ferrari” to do well in Venice and in its upcoming theatrical run to make future projects. Could a film of “Heat 2,” Mann’s debut novel from last year he co-wrote with Meg Gardiner, be the director’s next? Mann wants to shoot it, but he also told Variety he “won’t be incomplete” if he never adapts the book. And besides, Mann may tinker with “Ferrari” after its release to make a definitive director’s cut of it, as he likes to do with his films. He did so with “Blackhat,” premiering a director’s cut of the film at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music in 2016. Arrow Video will release both cuts of the film in its 4k home video release of “Blackhat,” out this Fall.
So will “Ferrari” see Mann resurgent at the box office come December 25, when the film hits theaters? It’s hard to fault Mann for the odd dud of “Blackhat” (and let’s face it, it’s still a very strong film even if it didn’t find an audience). But let’s see how “Ferrari” does at its Venice premiere on August 30.