The loss of acting legend James Caan is hard for all the usual reasons, compelling movie-lovers to think of all the time we’ve spent with his films and feel as if we’ve lost someone not just known, but close to us. But it’s made all the more difficult by the fact that there’s no one in the younger generations that can even come close to filling his shoes. Born to a Jewish butcher who’d come over from Germany, raised on the lively and hardscrabble streets of Sunnyside, Queens, he was so thoroughly identified with blue-collar America that he practically earned an on-screen double citizenship as an honorary Italian.

Continue reading James Caan Remembered: The Essential Films at The Playlist.

Today, we lost the inimitable actor James Caan at the age of 82. Known for his no-nonsense, salt-of-the-earth, hot-headed tough-guy roles, Sonny in “The Godfather,” “Rollerball,” “Alien Nation,” and “The Gambler,” Caan was actually similar to the world of Marlon Brando: a hyper-masculine man who could still access all sides of his emotional and vulnerable sides.

Continue reading Michael Mann Remembers James Caan As A Totally Committed Actor With A “Vitality In His Core” at The Playlist.

Early on in “Thief,” Michael Mann’s 1981 feature debut, James Caan’s Frank stares out at a body of water enveloped by a sky that seems to go on forever. He’s just returned from another successful heist in Mann’s subterranean underworld, and he wants out. His life of crime is no life at all. He’s stuck in purgatory, confined to neon-drenched streets where the line between life and death is nonexistent.

Continue reading ‘Miami Vice’: Quintessentially Michael Mann At 15 Years at The Playlist.

One common problem with movies about criminals, thieves, and gangsters is that they end up glamorizing and glorifying the criminals. That’s not a problem with Michael Mann‘s movies. This week marked the 40th anniversary of Mann’s feature film debut, “Thief,” which seems as good a time as any to revisit this pulsating, neo-noir masterpiece.

READ MORE: ‘Heat’: Michael Mann’s Symphonic Drama & The Tragedy Of Masculinity

In “Thief,” James Caan plays a jewel thief trying to get out of the game.

Continue reading ‘Thief’: Remembering Michael Mann’s Masterpiece 40 Years Later at The Playlist.

Almost inseparable from the inception of cinema, the heist genre has enraptured audiences for generations, as it offers an escapist appeal to the anti-hero and the outlaw. There is something intrinsically cinematic about heist films, with the best of them moving like a captivating ballet through the intricacies of elaborate schemes to get rich and get away.

Edgar Wright‘s newly released “Baby Driver” offers an homage to the rich history of heist-induced exhilaration (our review).

Continue reading The 35 Best Heist Movies at The Playlist.

We’re in something of a drought when it comes to quality crime cinema, so it seems even longer than 2009 since Michael Mann’s last proper effort, “Public Enemies” (yes, we’re going to act as though “Blackhat” never happened). So something like “Michael Mann: People, Places, Crimes” from Michael Couvaras is a handy reminder for what we’re missing from the guy.

Continue reading Sublime Obsessions Rule The Characters In Michael Mann Films [Video Essay] at The Playlist.

Michael Mann At BAM: The Recut 'Blackhat,' The Authenticity Behind 'Thief,' 'Heat,' ‘Ali,’ 'Collateral,' & More

Continue reading Michael Mann At BAM: The Recut ‘Blackhat,’ The Authenticity Behind ‘Thief,’ ‘Heat,’ ‘Ali,’ ‘Collateral,’ & More at The Playlist.

Watch: 10-Minute Tribute To The Films Of Michael Mann, From 'The Jericho Mile' To 'Blackhat'

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The 10 Best Performances In The Films Of Michael Mann

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Watch: 2-Minute Visual Essay On Michael Mann's 'Thief'

Continue reading Watch: 2-Minute Visual Essay On Michael Mann’s ‘Thief’ at The Playlist.

Interview: Michael Mann Talks Making 'Thief,' The Importance Of Authenticity & What's Coming In His Next Film

Continue reading Interview: Michael Mann Talks Making ‘Thief,’ The Importance Of Authenticity & What’s Coming In His Next Film at The Playlist.

Retrospective: The Films Of Michael Mann

Continue reading The Essentials: Michael Mann’s Best Films at The Playlist.