"Blackhat"

Take a look @ 'the good, the bad and the ugly' in director Michael Mann's new thriller "Blackhat", starring Chris Hemsworth, Wei Tang and Viola Davis:

MICHAEL STEVENS/SNEAKPEEK.CA FOR 'THE GOOD':

"In director Michael Mann's "Blackhat", furloughed convict 'Nick Hathaway' (Hemsworth) with American and Chinese partners, hunts down a high-level cybercrime network connecting Chicago, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Jakarta.

"Mann delights in exploring CG 'digital trails', plunging into physical networks, following power surges while mapping out a glowing high-tech world, in contrast to the grimy digs used by a sweaty, terrorist hacker.

"Thor" actor Hemsworth, looking every inch an action star, knows how to use a gun (as opposed to a hammer) and effortlessly takes out gaggles of baddies, using 'MacGyver'-like prison smarts to street-fight his way out of confrontations.

"Actress Wei Tang as 'Chen Lien', is also good, convincingly playing her part as a lover and adventure partner...

"...in and out of panoramic Far Eastern locations.

"The music is as good as you would expect from a Michael Mann film, with several composers contributing to the synth-sounding score including Harry Gregson-Williams, Atticus and Leo Ross, Ryan Amon and Mike Dean.

GRAF ORLOK FOR 'THE BAD':

"Michael I didn't just LIKE Wei Tang in this film, I LOVED her including those subtle hints of body language, between her and Hemsworth's character as he slowly scopes her out.

"Hemsworth finally makes his move on the balcony of a high-rise when he catches Wei's porcelain skin, straight black hair and tight silk pants gleaming in the moonlight. 

"From that point on, their romance grows more complicated, tender and sweet.

"Viola Davis as FBI agent 'Carol Barrett' also had some nice close-up shots of her luscious lips that reminded me of the female DJ from Walter Hill's "The Warriors".

"Hemsworth has the right look for an action star, and I could (sort of) believe that he was in a lockup for years...

"...although he looks better than he should under such circumstances. 

"But his ex-con character does go nuts on a CPU, slices 'n dices a creep's face with a broken beer bottle, smashes a prone body with a heavy tabletop, and jams a screwdriver into a baddie's head, just like in "The Walking Dead".

"Action sequences include cars that blow-up real good, numerous gun-fights with machine guns, pistols and knives, plus a played-out cat and mouse action sequence in a crowded Jakarta square..."

JANE DOBERMAN FOR 'THE UGLY':

"At first I thought I was in the wrong theater at the beginning of this film, when a space view of the earth came on screen like something out of John Carpenter's "The Thing". Thankfully the camera kept moving in closer to earth showing cities, digging deeper into the electronic buzz.

"But unfortunately this film was a complete synth snore-fest for me as I kept nodding off between action sequences, with only the LOUD clacking of old keyboards keeping me awake. So much for high-tech.

"Aside from the main villain in the film, looking like Seth Rogen, the only other thing I found entertaining here (hate to burst your bubble Graf), is that Viola Davis' plum-wigged FBI agent, comes across more like Flip Wilson's 'Geraldine Jones' than "X-Files" 'Dana Scully'.

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