I absolutely 100% agree with you on Collateral. That was by far the best movie of 2004!

Heat is one of my 5 all-time favourites. Simply incredible. Most of his other films are excellent, but none matched Heat in my opinion.

And I'm glad you liked PE so much. Reviews haven't been exactly glowing so far.

Heat has the best line in all the films: "Because she has a GREAT ASS! And you got your head ALL THE WAY UP IT!" God I love that line.

I can't remember, how was Cotillard's English in "Big Fish". I do remember wondering why Tom Cruise was "lead actor" and Foxx was "supporting" in Collateral.

@polishprince:
haha, yeah! definitely the best Al Pacino line ever!

I am a huge Mahunter fan, I also enjoyed Collateral, and Public Enemies is sure to be one of my favorite film of the year!
Cotillard always outshines most in her films. She is amazing!

Have to disagree, the gorgeous Gong Li was the best thing about MV. She was amazing.

i love every Mann movie because there are more ideas in a scene of Mann movie than a entire Bay (or many another directors)filmography! his movies aren't perfect but fascinating! even Miami Vice who is more, for me, a love story with action( but i dislike Colin Farell in this movie,he's too "i'm not really here")

I havent seen Public Enemies yet, but that clip is fantastic.
I'm the movie buff among my group of friends and they always ask me during the oscars what constitutes best sound editing and mixing…Gunfight at Little Bohemia Lodge is it!

if anything, the last mohicans should be no 1, i dont know about collateral, it was alright.

Great list, except for one problem. To put COLLATERAL in front of HEAT, THE INSIDER, and LAST OF THE MOHICANS, is down-right shocking! COLLATERAL needs to be moved down to number seven and then move everything above it up one notch, then you'll have your Michael Mann list. Don't get me wrong. COLLATERAL is a good movie. But it's right there with ALI and MIAMI VICE as far as Michael Mann films go.

Alright brad if you remember me you know I comment on all Mann topics cause I love him and love the fact you share th love as well. I enjoyed your list very much but this is what I wanted to say

Miami Vice I feel is a film that grows on you but I feel the love story in the movie was an Interesting one because it was one that wouldn't ever last just like in Heat with Edie and De Niros love storyin heat and the ending music in Miami Vice on the beach and you hear the wind is so beautiful because they are having to walk away from eachother even though they don't want to at all. I feel Mann was trying to show us the true life struggles we have with dealing with hard choices and that's why I enjoyed it soo much but I agree not his best work.

The funny thing is I saw manhunter 4 years ago on amc and was shocked I didn't know about it before I love it.

I agree with all others but now to Heat. Heat is my all time favorite movie but sometimes I like the insider and collateral more. But I will say this I felt the ending to Heat worked because remember earlier in the movie with the amazing diner scene? That was simple an just them well I feel Mann wanted that for their final scene because in truth they are just two men in this big world but yet they were soo much like eachother and you can tell my Hannahs face that he din want to do this. I read in a book about Mann thy he said they hold hands because de niro is happy to have someone with him as he "rolls out". I ejoy that shot very much because it was the first action film I ever saw where the good and bad guys respected eachother but in truth you also dint hate the bad guy in this movie either. I feel that Heat is a REAL to life film. Also that alot of it really happened is cool fact to know too. But I am happy to see so many people love this film like I do

The Insider I agree with exactly everything you said it's such an amazing film and fighting with words is exactly it! Very underrated film I hope gets a nice 2 disc dvd bluray soon. But 3 shots in the film that set te tone the driving rang. The bullit in the mail box and te
beach phone scene and the blue setting simply beautiful.

Collateral. Again agree with everything even with Ruffalo I thought that was an amazing job by him and such a great person in the film I loved how he just kept going because it didn't feel right just perfect Because it have us the sometimes need break from max and vincent to show us that everything they are doing isn't going unnoticed. Both Foxx and cruise were amazing but I liked the end because of it's draw back to vincents story to earlier and that Vincent almost seemed happy rondos there because he has a little smile on his face with that great shot of him alone on the train.

Now Heat has the best( so far) shootout iv ever seen in my life and iv seen many great flicks Collateral is def the second best because of the intesne happenings and panic around them and cruise trying to kill his target while Fanning is trying to get max out of there and his very unexpected turn once they get out of the club. Miami Vice was amazing as well let us remember I believe in the theatrical verison there is no nonpoint so I agree it was unneeded but it def wasn't always there.

I want to ask everyone esp you brad if you all notice Manns use of dark blue lighting in his films ( manhunter on the beach in the begining sorta. The Insider beach again and Heat when he comes home to his appartment) amazing touch to show emotion I think.

Great write Brad thank you for this read

The Heat shootout is second best ever, in my opinion, to the final in "Way of the Gun" with the great line by Del Toro before "There's always free cheese in a mousetrap". That and the first two minutes by Sarah Silverman make it great.

The Insider is complex and fantastic, much better and developed than Collateral in my opinion; I think it is Russell's best performance yet.

Ugh, Collateral? I thought that movie was grossly overrated. Are you a Scientologist, btw? Perhaps that explains the rating. Anyways, my favorite has got to be Heat. That was such a heart pounding thriller. Great acting between Pacino, DeNiro, and Kilmer. Heat was what was emulated for Dark Knight.

I'd take Insider, and probably Public Enemies next after I see it. And Miami Vice last. Ferrell and Fox can't act, in my opinion. Oscars disagree, but then oscars suck.@polishprince: That was a friggin great line.

Insider is tops for me, but Collateral is right up there too.

" …I honestly think this gunfight may beat the one in Heat."

Sure can't wait for this one

Collateral…YES

I agree Collateral is his best movie. Heat was too boring for me. I feel PE will be better than Collateral though.

Collateral was great. I would rank it best. Last of the Mohicans next and then Heat.
I haven't seen The Insider yet. Not sure how. Will make more of an effort now. Can't remember Manhunter specifics. It's been a while. Ali and Thief have not seen yet.
I have seen The Keep a number of times. I would rank it in the top half of the list. Probably after Heat. I loved the unpredictability of Collaterall and The Keep has some of that. Very entertaining.
I have been waiting forever for Public Enemies.

@adu: If you found Heat boring I'm not sure Public Enemies is going to be your kind of movie.

It is all about Heat… Heat is the greatest crime drama in the history of film.
Watch it again if you don't believe me, the acting, the story,the homework that Mann did with actual modern day cops & robbers,the sound!!!!
Everyone goes on about the amazing shoot out scene and rightfully so but when you really spend time watching this film over and over it has so much more than just great gun scenes, it is beautiful and poetic, in short flawless.
The only thing unfortunate are the films that followed… The Insider was the best of the post Heat films but watch Collateral again,it is so good for the first half but it slowly gets digested into hollywood pablum and at the end Tom Cruise turns into the terminator,so sad.
Manhunter is very good as well, i know it is dated and a little clunky but Mann is about style and feeling so this film captures it very well. Anyone rolling there eyes right now needs to sit down and watch Heat again, no distractions,no breaks,no pausing, just sit and watch it.
It is all about Heat!