During his career, Michael Mann has drawn asingular and innovative line within the Hollywood industry.TheLast oftheMohicans,Heat,Revelations,Ali,Collateral,Miami Vice, and evenPublic Enemies,have reshuffled the cards of American cinema to the point of making Mann one of the most important filmmakers of the last thirty years.

Born in 1943 in Chicago,Michael Mann madeThief, his first film, in 1981. He went on to revolutionize television writing with the seriesMiami Viceand, in 1995, released the thrillerHeat,which put him well and truly on the map.

ln just a few shots, one can identify Manns unique filmmaking style:apredilectionfor urbansettingsandinparticularforLos Angeles,whoseimage he was able to renew breathtaking night shots; a taste for supremely skilled but solitary men; an obsession with the world of crime; and above all, a contemplative way of filming that combines fascination and melancholy.

Written by thehighly regarded filmmaker and critic Jean-Baptiste Thoret, this illustrated examination of one of the most unique filmmakers of our time goes beyond the art, looking at everything that has led to Manns style and success.