Michael Man’s Debut is Hot
Made in the year of my birth, this interesting caper movie is Michael Mann’s directorial feature film debut. The Mann (sorry) who would go on to make Heat paves the way for the serious, violent crime movies that will dominate his filmography (he’s even working on Heat 2).
James Caan plays Frank. A lone wolf, safe cracking thief who works alone aside from a little help from some trusted partners, including Jim Belushi playing it straight as his tech guy. Frank is about to open his world up in more ways than one, with both a kingpin crime boss hoping he’ll work for him, and love interest Jessie, played by Tuesday Weld. In doing this he exposes himself to the heat (sorry again).
The main plot revolves around a job for the new crime boss father figure Leo (Frank was raised by the state), played by Robert Prosky. They have to crack a serious safe with five alarms and a titanium door. At this point it’s a pretty solid heist movie. Things naturally take a turn for the worst, with cops and crooks involved, and things get pretty ugly.
The film is a bit of a mixed bag, ultimately a really solid premise perhaps just lacking the polish Mann would develop as his filmography progressed. Everything from the cinematography to the music has glimpses of brilliance, and if it weren’t for a few moments of madness, it would be up there as one of the best of its genre.
Even Caan, a great actor when playing the right roles, has some clunky moments. The best bits are fantastic, especially when he’s wooing Jessie at a diner and opening himself up to her with full insight into his decade in prison. Some other bits are a little less on the money. The rest of the cast are also generally great, including a small role for Willie Nelson as the guy that taught Frank everything he knows.
Overall, it’s a solid start from Mann and there is enough there to make it an enjoyable movie. The pulsating soundtrack by Tangerine Dream works great, and apart from a few teething issues the sign of good things to come from the director is evident.