I’ve cut together three Michael Mann films: Thief (1981), Manhunter (1986), and Heat (1995) into a sort of mood board / aesthetic guide for my 98%-finished song ‘Losing My Name’. Manhunter in particular fits the song visually and thematically, which is ‘interesting’ considering it’s about the FBI trying to catch a serial killer with the help of Hannibal Lecter and I’m totally not singing about serial killing or FBI'ing. Well, who knows these days…
At least for me it augments the enjoyment of the song by putting it in someone else’s context. Makes a kind of sense.
Stripped of on-screen violence, Mann’s films more or less reveal the difficulty men have of simply chillin’ and hanging out with their (straight, usually blond) partners. Women are desired, needed, motivation for change, yet still not enough to keep men from doing dumb shit in a masculine society.
And the guy just has a great eye for a good shot, especially at night. Intense, limited colors. Architectural framing. Portrays locations—L.A. specifically—more authentically than most. Collateral actually looks like a drive around town. Can’t do that in Vancouver!
That’s all I got. Now get outta here.
Man(n)