The Philosophy of Michael Mann

Although Mann is recognized, both popularly and critically, as a brilliant visual stylist who revitalized the American crime genre in the postmodern era, The Philosophy of Michael Mann is the first scholarly treatment of his oeuvre from a range of philosophical perspectives. Soundly refuting the notion of Mann as a manipulator of surfaces, this volume reveals the subtextual depths and diversity of his feature film career.

~Linda Badley, Middle Tennessee State University

This is an extremely useful and diverse collection of philosophical musings on one of American cinema's most important contemporary auteurs. The Philosophy of Michael Mann features an impressive line-up of world-renowned film critics, philosophers, literary experts, and Mann scholars—all illuminating the eclectic range of concepts gestured to throughout his decades of work. A provocative, engaging read for students of cinema and philosophy, as well as fans of the director. If there remains any doubt that Mann is a legitimate auteur of the first order, this collection should put it to rest once and for all.

~Jason Sperb, Northwestern University, author of Blossoms & Blood: Postmodern Media Culture and the Films of Paul Thomas Anderson

[The authors] have woven a complex collection of criticism and analysis into a cohesive and satisfying whole that expresses the multiplicity of Mann's oeuvre. [...] Achieved here, in this rather concise yet wholly expansive book, is something worthy of the attention of not only readers interested in the cinema of Michael Mann, but also those interested in philosophy, history, anthropology, and aesthetic theory. A great read.

~Film Matters

The Philosophy of Michael Mann is a collection of well-thought-out essays from bright scholarly minds who breakdown their interpretative logic of one of American cinema's most important contemporary auteurs. It is worth a read.

~Terry R. Wickham, award-winning writer, producer, and director of Devil's Five