Sometimes I dispair about film people. For me, the proof that the autuer theory is bunkem can be found in the varied filmography of ‘greats’. Hitchcock had a few duffs such as THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, Guru Dutt had Mr 55, Welles had TOO MUCH JOHNSON. Now all of these films arent ‘bad’ so to speak but they leave a taste behind them that sores the whole meal, so to speak. Michael Mann made THIEF, MANHUNTER and HEAT, all acclaimed and all auteur celebrated. Then along came MIAMI VICE and this film BLACKHAT. Both are starkly average for a film maker of his calibre but above for a hacking nobody.

This conspiracy ladened cyber crime, contemporary, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller today seems about as plausable as Q spider web crap lies. Chris Hemsworth is Nick Hathaway, an MIT studied hacker who is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for money hijinxs. When a Hong Kong nuclear plant is destroyed by a hacked pump and goes into meltdown, the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) cybersecurity captain Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang) offers him a way out. They were old college roommates and so the deal is simple. Freedom for the apprehension of the culprit. Somethings are not so easy, Nick has eyes on Chen sister played by Tang Wei. He is watched by an FBI agent played by Viola Davis and the whole mess is a bitter reminder that China and the US arent friends. But also closer to Frenenies then is liked…

So the film I was less intrigued by than I expected and instead felt it should be one of those films on a list made by a name that is ignored more than implored to watch. The disc avoids Mann and instead focuses on those who helped out with the films creating. Dryburgh interview reveals he was defined by his camera requirements and that digital both saved and stole from him. Dyas is quite an interesting fellow. Mainly due to him asking and then not answering questions about art, design, space and location. The package looks good if nothing else.

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of both the US and international versions of the film
• Original lossless 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
• Firewall – brand new video interview with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh
• Zero Day Threat – brand new video interview with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas
• The Cyber Threat, On Location Around the World and Creating Reality – three archival behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andrew Graves
• Limited Edition slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller