Director Michael Mann has been missing in action this decade, a surprising disappearance act from the great director of such muscular achievements as “The Insider,” “Collateral,” and “Heat.” So, what happened? He’s released only one movie in the last ten years, which sadly had to be 2015’s misbegotten “Blackhat” (although I hear there are some newly added fans of the recently released “Director’s Cut”).
As Mann prepares for his new HBO Max series, he managed to find the time to write a letter to director Todd Phillips about “Joker,” which was revealed at a recent Q&A screening with director Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”) and Phillips himself. Mann’s words are well-chosen, as he speaks about the clashes of good and evil, right and wrong in “Joker”:
I love this movie. I think it’s brilliant and not only Todd’s best film but it’s exciting because it’s on a frontier. And that’s usually where very good things happen. Todd and Scott’s screenplay has that relevance that occurs when work is authentic and not derivative. We find Arthur disturbing and poignant simultaneously. He’s both child victim and adult perpetrator. Both are true, as is the case with most schizophrenics. That both are true is uncomfortable. We find ourselves in a fugue state. It’s counterpoint. It’s why Arthur and the film’s impact sustains so strongly in memory. To build on all of this, and for Joaquin, Todd, and Scott, to impact upon on this powerfully is a difficult accomplishment. Congratulations, Todd!
Phillips, who hadn’t read the letter until then, had a big fat smile on his face as Cooper read the letter to him on-stage,” Philips said, adding “That’s amazing to hear a letter from Michael Mann. I’m such a huge Michael Mann fan. He knows that we’ve spoken about it.”
The Mann stamp of approval should not be disavowed.
As for “Joker,” after premiering and winning the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in early September, it has been breaking numerous box-office records and, most importantly, won the heart of this critic. “Joker” is such potent truth serum for what’s happening right now in 2019 that many would rather reject the issues the film tackles. Despite mixed reviews, audiences have clearly sided with the film, and it speaks to the movie’s qualities that it has an 8.8 rating on IMDB, an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ on CinemaScore.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.