Why we’re excited: The director of such acclaimed film’s as “Heat”, which had the best Al Pacino and Robert De Niro pairing, “Collateral”, showcasing Tom Cruise’s best performance and Jamie Foxx’s best supporting work, and “The Insider” for which he was academy award nominated 3 of 4 times (the other was as a producer on “The Aviator”). Making his first film in 6 years, he tells a story on a large scale with themes of surveillance and technophobia that seem both weighty and timely, all within his wheelhouse.

Additionally the film also is also a stretch for Chris Hemsworth a.k.a. Thor. Showing he can actually act in 2013’s Rush, he might have a tough time convincing us he’s a genius coder, but he’ll have great direction in Mann and likely great supporting work from two-time Academy Award nominee Viola Davis.

“Blackhat” opens its doors on January 16th

Black-\hat: a hacker who “violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain”