[rating=5.00]
One of art’s most noble purposes is serving as a reflection of ourselves. Our fears, desires, and hypocrisies have always served as fodder for the narrative form – from epic poems to Shakespeare plays to modern film. For the past two decades, as our culture and society has become more and more entrenched in the advances of computers and technology, filmmakers have often looked toward our fears about personal privacy and safety related to the Internet. Indeed, between hacktivists, the NSA, keylogging malware, or any number of groups or programs who might want to delve into our private life via portals provided by technology, fear and angst is an unavoidable element of our tech-centric world.
It’s really just too bad no one has figured out a way to show that interestingly on film.
Blackhat, from director Michael Mann, is the latest film that attempts a compelling narrative centered around hacking and cyberterrorism – and it very nearly succeeds. Chris “Thor” Hemsworth plays Nicholas Hathaway, an imprisoned hacker intent on doing his time on his terms. When an unknown cyberassailant attacks a Chinese nuclear facility and stock exchange, Hathaway is offered the chance to end his prison sentence by helping to identify and locate the rogue “blackhat.”
I’m the type of movie watcher that can forgive clichéd and trope ridden formulas, but my good will only reaches so far. I’ll overlook the use of the played out “criminal helps the cops for less prison time” motif, but the story you’re telling better resonate. And while Blackhat certainly has all the right ingredients for a savvy and compelling techno-thriller, the end result relies too heavily on gritty realism as opposed to a compelling narrative.
I’m the first to admit that my experience with computers and technology doesn’t go much farther than “if I press this button, this will happen,” but the film’s technical accuracy is impressive even to non-techies. Indeed, much has been made about the pains Mann went through to make the film as real as possible, and he’s succeeded on that front. Yes, there are a few scenes showing the drama of hacking from the perspective of the circuit boards, but the film focuses on the people affected by or doing the hacking.
For much of the movie, this does work well. Hemsworth owns his role, though his affected American accent is a bit distracting at times. Still, he’s more than believable in his role, and it’s nice to see Hollywood move away from the stereotypical depictions of a computer geek. Equally, if not more, impressive was Viola Davis as Carol Barrett, the FBI agent working with Hathaway to find their villain.
Mann’s direction is, as ever, top-notch. Arguably more than any other filmmaker, Mann knows how to choreograph a good shoot-out and action scene – and there’s plenty for gunplay fanatics to enjoy. He even manages to make engaging scenes from Hemsworth typing at a computer.
But the movie falls apart with Morgan Davis Foehl’s writing. In his first screenplay (following several editing credits), Foehl manages to keep the film grounded, and the first two acts are compelling enough. Where he — and ultimately the film — fails is in act three. The villains never feel too threatening. It almost seems like he got to act three with no clear idea who his antagonist was or why he was doing the things he did. Sure, the explanation is reasonable enough, but it’s just kind of, well, dumb.
Which is a shame since Blackhat is very nearly a good movie. But whereas a mediocre films with a great ending can endear themselves in the minds of the public, a pretty decent movie with a lame ending will always fade from consciousness. Blackhat may not be entirely terrible, but it’s certainly not worth the ten-buck admission.
