By

Blackhat

Not the edgy cyber-thriller we had hoped for

Michael Mann has given us The Last of the Mohicans, The Insider and Heat, so I’m wondering what he’s doing down at this level. There’s nothing particularly wrong with this multiplex fodder, but not much of substance either.

I didn’t buy Chris Hemsworth as an incarcerated cyber-criminal paroled by a desperate FBI to help them find a cyber-villain. The bad guy has already caused a reactor meltdown and upset the financial markets. For a geek, Chris’s hunky hacker is inexplicably adept at gunplay and close combat. This is not exactly hackwork, but neither is it the edgy cyber-thriller we had hoped for. (134 min)