Blackhat (2015), R, ★1/2

Let's run from...bad guys, I guess? Isn't he a hacker?

Have you ever discovered your money from your checking or savings accounts stolen or used in one occasion? You never know what will happen or who is out there to leak the information or steal your money. It is easier for an intelligent hacker to monitor and code a program that can ruin your life for a  while or the rest of your life if you do not do something about it. But, it is also easier because everybody uses digital technology and even one mistake can make you vulnerable. Movies have come out as to how filmmakers show the negative sides of digital technology, good and bad and very bad movies. This movie falls under the category between bad and very bad and it is disappointing because this film is made by one of my favorite directors.

A nuclear plant in Hong Kong and the Mercantile Trade Exchange in Chicago are hacked. The Chinese government and the FBI ascertain that it was hacked by a Remote Access Tool (RAT). Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang) is a military man trying to find out the culprits behind the damages. Dawai is aided by his sister, Lien (Wei Tang), meeting with Agent Carol Barrett (Viola Davis) and another agent in Los Angeles to seek out an incarcerated hacker named Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth). He makes a willing exchange for his services: if the mission is completed, his sentence is commuted; if not, he goes back to prison immediately.

Hathaway meets with Dawai and the FBI agents and learn that one of the FBI agents is a spy and may have a connection with the hacker. Hathaway and Lien go to the apartment finding the person dead and saw a message for a drop later that night and later, Hathaway sends a message to confirm that the drop is still on and they go to the Chinese restaurant to wait for the people. And, from there, it is a mess as they try to solve how the three men in the restaurant is connected to the hacking and therefore, it will create a bigger problem on how it is linked to the nuclear plant hacking.

Where's Hemsworth?

Oh, man. This movie is silly and drags with endless trite dialogue like someone who is a clone of director Michael Mann has directed the movie and has no idea what is going on with the characters, what the premise is, and why the characters develop. There is also an uneven balance between a few kinetic action sequences and lifeless scenes where you do not care for a second what they are because it is sort of established or thought about in the first 20 minutes. Also, during the "cool" coding and hacking scenes, we get VFX shots inside of a computer or a hard-drive with some links. It is cool at first, but it gets less amusing. Another thing that irritated me is that they are in China and a scene where Hathaway has to disguise himself to get away from the bad guys, he uses a baseball hat to disguise himself. I hate to say it, but he's the only white person amongst the Chinese people in that scene. How can you not overlook that?

Chris Hemsworth is an appealing actor who can do good work. A great example is Rush where he played a hothead who is determined to get fame and money but he had a backstory where he is vulnerable and also respected. Here, he is an intelligent hacker who just types and roams around in crowded streets or runs away. Viola Davis gives the only interesting performance in this movie and does what she can with her natural presence. Wei Tang is forgettable in this role and has no chemistry with Hemsworth, who they both one of the most random romantic relationships ever. It does not make sense at all.

The way how most of the action sequences are staged and shot are cool and certifiably appealing. But, sometimes, the way it is shot it feels like that is shot on a phone that was dropped on the ground or in the ocean and someone picked it up and played around with it. Director Michael Mann, who has made great crime thrillers like Heat and Collateral, has made his worst film. I never knew he would beat Miami Vice as his worst, but he did. This film is an over calculated, over done, stagnant and preposterous cyberthriller that lacks suspense and drama. It is visually muddled and almost inept. Davis' performance, a few action sequences and a cool shot of inside the computer are a few consolations but this movie is a befuddled mess.

*1/2