A MASTER CALLED MICHAEL MANN

Acclaimed director brings pet project to life after 20 years...

From Colin to Jamie, the stars of Michael Mann's take on "Miami Vice"

July 27, 2006

By Ben Samara

   With Miami Vice hitting theaters this weekend, internet buzz is coming Michael Mann's way once again. After 20 years, the acclaimed director is finally bringing his pet project to the screen. He's scrapping the Jan Hammer theme and the pastel suits in favor of a grittier, updated version he hopes will draw in the summer adult crowd.

   But will all of the buzz translate into significant Oscar nods for Mann? Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. After a three film warm-up in the 80s, Mann came into his own with 1992s Last of the Mohicans. Since then he has earned a reputation for being a reliable director who always produces a top-notch product. Yet for the five films Mann has directed since the start of the 90s, he has received only one Best Picture nomination and one Best Director nomination, for 1999's The Insider.

   The past two decades of Mann's career have consisted of some of the biggest Oscar snubs in recent memory. They have also suffered from frequent commercial heartbreak. Instead of catering to the blockbuster crowd, it seems that Mann would rather let the audience come to him. His films are always authentic and precise in tone, not to mention universally acclaimed by critics. But until 2004's Collateral, no Mann film had grossed more than $100 million at the domestic box office (Collateral grossed just over $101 million). In fact, none of the previous four even came close. So, while respected, Mann often comes across to the industry as a director who will deliver the goods on film but not in the studio's pocket.

   With the exception of The Insider, the pattern has always stayed the same: Low grosses and a low Oscar count. None of Mann's other films received more than two nominations. Looking ahead to Miami Vice, I thought it would be good to take a look at Mann's last five films, what they were nominated for and what – in the opinion of this writer – they should have been considered for.

Last of the Mohicans, 1992 ($75 million)

Was nominated:

Best Sound (Won)

Should have been nominated:

Best Cinematography
Best Makeup
Best Costume Design
Best Original Score

   Mann leapt into the upper echelon with this film, showcasing his trademark visuals and flare for the technical aspect of filmmaking. Last of the Mohicans earned one Oscar nomination and win for Best Sound, but was snubbed in all other categories. The win for Sound is still the only Oscar win for a Mann-directed film to this day.

Heat, 1995 ($67 million)

Was nominated:
N/A

Should have been nominated:

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Supporting Actor: Robert DeNiro
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Sound
Best Sound Effects Editing

   Three years after Last of the Mohicans, Mann wrote and directed arguably the greatest crime drama of our time. Its result with the Academy was probably the greatest Oscar travesty of our time as well.

   Heat brought heavyweights Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro together on screen for the first time in several unforgettable moments and featured perhaps the most memorable bank heist scene of all time.

   With Heat, Mann was able to deliver a perfect, technically brilliant popcorn blockbuster, but with an added layer of depth we rarely see today. The characters were authentic and developed in such a manner that you felt as if you'd known them for years. Mann specializes in giving his actors background information on feelings, emotions and past events not necessarily evident to the viewer. This makes every tiny detail and facial _expression relevant and affecting. The audience always feels like there's something more going on in each character's head.

   But despite Heat's complexities and achievements on the screen, the Academy managed to snub it in all categories. Not only was it not nominated for the big prize, it wasn't nominated for anything at all. As film fans look back over a decade later, it's hard to believe Mann's masterpiece was completely overlooked. However, Heat's unjust omissions in 1995 set the stage for the Academy to right its wrongs a few years later

The Insider, 1999 ($29 million)

Was nominated:

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor: Russell Crowe
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Sound

Should have been nominated:

N/A

   The Academy must have known it had screwed up big time back in 1995. When Mann delivered yet again with The Insider in 1999, voters had no choice but to bestow it with seven nominations, including Mann's first nods for Picture and Director. The film – a look at a 60 Minutes piece dealing with malpractice in the tobacco industry – was a coming out party for Lead Actor nominee Russell Crowe, as well as Mann's first widespread recognition with the Academy. For the first time, a Mann film had received every nomination it rightly deserved.

   Of course, Oscar still managed to stick it to Mann somehow. Although The Insider was nominated for seven Oscars, it failed to take home a single award. Take that.

Ali, 2001 ($58 million)

Was nominated:

Best Actor: Will Smith
Best Supporting Actor: Jon Voight

Should have been nominated:

Best Director
Best Cinematography
Best Makeup
Sound Effects Editing

   If Mann has a hang-up as a director, it's probably the fact that some of his films tend to run a little long. Ali was certainly one of those films, although it deserved much more than it received. Thankfully, Will Smith and Jon Voight were rewarded with nominations for their outstanding portrayals of Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell, respectively. Mann, on the other hand, received no respect from the Academy whatsoever, despite delivering the same dazzling visual product we've come to expect from him.

   It may have been a little bit long, but there's no denying that Ali was a spectacular tribute to one of our nation's most recognizable sports heroes. It was a stunning epic that simply became a little too "epic" for its own good. Still, I thought it deserved a better showing at the Oscars than two acting nominations.

Collateral, 2004 ($101 million)

Was nominated:

Best Supporting Actor: Jamie Foxx
Best Editing

Should have been nominated:

Best Director
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Cruise
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Sound
Best Sound Effects Editing
Best Editing

   One of my favorite films of 2004, Collateral could have been a one-shot premise that wore out its welcome within the first 30 minutes. Mann elevated the material, however, simply by doing what he does best.

   Always willing to try something new, Mann has a knack for finding that special angle in every place he films, be it Los Angeles or Africa. In Collateral, the shots of L.A. are brilliant and the pace and editing are magnificent. Like Heat before it, Collateral includes L.A. as a character, not as a backdrop, and it's Mann's attention to detail that really makes this film amazing.

   Jamie Foxx received a Supporting Actor nomination for this film, although he was really the lead. The category switch only happened so voters could make way for his lead performance that year in Ray. In Collateral, I was far more impressed with Tom Cruise's turn as the silver-haired assassin Vincent, although he was overlooked, as he usually is.

The Bottom Line

   If the Academy can't reward films like Heat or Ali, it's probably not going to go for a film called Miami Vice, no matter how good it is. Four of Mann's last five films have received at least one nomination, though, so we'll likely see this one on a shortlist in a technical category somewhere. For now, Mann is going to have to wait for his next Best Picture and Best Director nomination. They'll come sometime soon, just not in 2006.

 

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