Comments on: Review: Michael Mann & David Milch’s ‘Luck’ Is Slow Out Of The Gate, But Eventually Builds Into A Gallop

By: Rod

Rod — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

This show was AWFUL! It was slow and boring. Mann's use of the camera, his cinematographer, AWFUL! The acting was AWFUL! Hoffman didn't sell me and couldn't figure out if he was gonna be a tough guy or a panty waste trying to be tough. Nolte was way off and looked as if he forgot how to act! Mann tried to cram every character into the show in the pilot and for what? The scenes were long and drawn out. The ON THE NOSE dialogue, FORCE-FEEDING us the information several times to make sure the audience "gets it" just made us out to be MORONS, incapable of following along with subtext. This is an hour I could have been spending doing crunches or something less painful!!!!!!!!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

"Just how much education a viewer will have to cram in is highlighted by the five-page glossary of horse racing terms we received in our press kit for the show — but unfortuantely, audiences won't have the luxury of a similar reference guide. "

Actually, they will. HBO posted the glossary on the show's website. Personally, I think people are overplaying just how confusing the show is. A lot of the jargon can be figured out through context of conversation. I didn't know what a "Pick 6" was when I watched the pilot, but simply by listening the gamblers conversing, it became pretty clear that it was picking the winner of six races. Hell, they even gave you a table as a visual aid. Similarly, when Richard Kind called the young jockey a "bug," it was clear that the term meant an inexperience jockey through the context of Kind yelling at him for not knowing his place.

By: Glass

Glass — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

I just re-watched Heat earlier, and it's so frustrating how Michael Mann is Michael Mann's worst enemy. Nobody understands the pathology of criminal behavior better than him, but his storytelling is so lumpy and overlong. 'Heat' should have been a masterpiece, but instead, it's a sturdy stepping stone in modern crime cinema. It's like the band Justice – had an amazing sound in 2007, but didn't go all the way with it, and now they're irrelevant because they opened the door for artists like Skrillex. I love Mann's work, but it's never without major flaws.

By: Sven

Sven — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

Is that Joan Allen next to Hoffman? She's not mentioned in the review…

By: WRT

WRT — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

I love Michael Mann, from Manhunter to The Insider to Miami Vice, but this was terrible. More 'HBO' than 'Mann'. Hoffmann is weak and old, the script rife with TV tropes, the premise hopelessly niche, and altogether barely comprehensible. It isn't worth two viewings: it only takes one to see how neutered and bland it is emotionally and atmospherically

By: Charles Rees

Charles Rees — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

What is not to like if it takes two viewings or more to appreciate a contemplative visual thriller by still the best director in Hollywood?

By: tristan eldritch

tristan eldritch — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

Chris – I agree, Mann is probably my favorite living filmmaker. I loved the pilot for Luck, but found it took two viewings to figure out everything that's going on in it. I think Luck will probably be brilliant overall, but I'm not overly optimistic about the show finding a large audience – I've heard the pilot described as one of the least accessible ever made. But watch it twice – its actually very tightly written, and the interplay between Hoffman and Farina is a joy to watch.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 22 May 2016 04:34:38 +0000

Michael Mann is a genius, truly one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. Can't wait to see this.