With just eleven films to his credit, Michael Mann has managed to draw a singular and innovative line within the Hollywood industry. The Last of the Mohicans,Heat, Revelations, Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice, and Public Enemies have reshuffled the cards of American cinema to the point of making Mann one of the most important filmmakers of the last three decades.
 
ln just a few shots one can identify his unique filmmaking style: a predilection for urban settings - and in particular for Los Angeles, whose image he was able to renew - and breath-taking 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 melancholia.
 
Going further than just a comprehensive essay on the career of a revolutionary filmmaker, this biography from the highly regard Jean-Baptiste Thoret, is also a treaty on contemporary times.