Manhunter

I continue to admire Michael Mann (producer of Miami Vice) as a director. Sure he's a technocrat, but he's good at it, so what's to criticize? Maybe his pictures lack a certain moral depth, but I thimnk the style, skill, and visual snap make up for it. These are, after all, genre pictures. “Manhunter” has the same flair, pacing, and tautness as did “Thief” (which I also liked) a few years back. Its images remind me of “To Live and Die in L.A.” (William Friedkin's redemption) (and indeed the star of both pictures is the intense William Peterson) which in turn reminded me of good “Miami Vice episodes,” so I guess there is a great continuity to everything after all. Peterson is very good here as a retired FBI man brought in to track down a serial killer. Pecterson's character is a pseudo-psychic; that is, he possesses an uncanny ability to make himself think like the killer--te pick up vibes--and thereby to find him. This is the same ability which forced his retirement; after a similar previous encounter, he was psychologically wounded and had to leave this life on the edge. Mann takes everything at rocket pace. I particularly like the scenes of the ultra-high-tech, modern law enforcement agencies ripping into action.

No satire here (about ineffective high tech) --these guys are GOOD, and their sophisticated methods WORK. No slouches either; everybody in the film (including the cops, which is a welcome reversal of the dumpy flatfoot image) is dressed to the nines. They look sharp, and they are sharp. Maybe subconsciously I like the theme of the ultramodern working in concert with the atavistic, instead of being at odds, as they so often are in stories. The fact is, Peterson's FBI man couldn't have done the job without the technobaubles, but neither could they have done it without him. Interesting. There are a few standouts. The guy who plays Turille on “Crime Story” is excellent as the agent in charge, The two villadns (the current killer, end the evil incarnate Dr. Lektor, who is the killer whose case drove Peterson to retire) are chilling and excellent, whlle quite distinct. Even though they are insane, they are formidable, proving once again that every rule has its exceptions. The scenes when Will (Peterson's character) talks to Lektor are riveting.

In fact, the entire picture is gripping; your heart pounds throughout most of it, and the atmosphere is laden with dread. The resolution of the plot (i.e. how they track him down) actually caught me by surprise, which I guess is a credit to the writer. This picture, as I recall, was rather well received, but went largely unnoticed. As an action psychological thriller, it is very neatly done. Mann likes high tech, he likes gadgets, and he likes things to be tense, so I like him,