Blackhat

This political thriller, written and directed by Michael Mann, only had a brief run in the theaters, but it deserved a better fate.  I had wanted to see it, but it vanished before I had the chance. It was playing this weekend at Woodbridge Theater, where you can see a movie for $2.00!  (They make their money on the popcorn, soda, and candy.)  By the time a film gets there, it will usually be on DVD within a month. A nuclear meltdown has occurred in China, caused by a hacker.  A plant in the United States had also been hit, but, fortunately, a meltdown didn't occur.  Shortly thereafter, the hacker wreaks havoc on the commodity exchange. The FBI and Chinese intelligence decide to join forces to stop the hacker.  The Chinese agent Leehom Wang (Chen Dawai) wants people he can trust on his team, so he enlists his sister Lien (Wei Tang).  He also insists on recruiting a legendary hacker, serving 15 years in an American prison, Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth).  (Could any actor look more like a computer geek than this guy?)  Hathaway will get a full pardon if the mission succeeds, but, if it fails, he will have to serve out his remaining 15 year prison sentence. Who is this cyberterrorist?  Is his motive political, financial, or something else?  Where and how will he strike next?  How can he be located and eliminated? The quest to answer these questions takes the team on an odyssey to exotic places like Hong Kong and Jakarta, among others.  The script is intelligent as the team keeps exposing one layer of the onion, only to find another.  There are some very good action sequences, a little romance, and considerable suspense. Rating 7.5 - Good movie - considerably better than the average rental. Dave