Screen scene Thursdays: Blackhat
October 2, 2014
Michael Mann is best known for directing classic films such as “Collateral,” “Public Enemies,” and “Miami Vice.” In 2015 he’ll bring us a film that looks to be a present-day apocalyptic film starring Chris Hemsworth.
“Blackhat” is an action thriller that deals with the complexities of today’s interconnected world filled with modern technology. The term “blackhat” refers to both Western film villains wearing black hats, and in hacking a black hat hacker will do commit cyber-crimes for malicious or personal gain.
The trailer opens with shots of Earth’s largest cities and interconnected systems like the Stock Market, while showing us that our lives, secrets, security and much more are all vulnerable. We then see what looks to be FBI agents talking about a hacker who has successfully broken into four major banks, but that could be the tip of the iceberg. Enter Chris Hemsworth.
Like most films Hemsworth is in nowadays, he plays somewhat of a hero in this one as well. His character, Nicholas Hathaway, is a genius coder and hacker who went to MIT but is now serving time in prison (we’re assuming it’s for some major cyber-crime), but is now given a second chance as he is the only one who has a chance at stopping whoever the infamous hacker is.
It seems a bit odd that someone like Chris Hemsworth was cast to play a hacker. A hacker that is jacked and can fight like the Special Forces just doesn’t sit right, but let’s face it: this is Hollywood. I am, however, not worried about that intruding on the quality of the film. Michael Mann is someone who doesn’t make casting decisions unintentionally, and he’s a visionary when it comes to films like this. The film also looks like it will overshadow Hemsworth due to the sheer reality of the story. The fact that we live in such an interconnected and globalized world is a great thing, but it also does come with a price if put into the wrong hands. We’ll just have to see how this present-day, technology-induced thriller plays out, and if Hollywood botches it or not.
Here’s the link to the trailer:
