Take joyride with ‘Ferrari’ director

With Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” roaring into theaters on Christmas Day, it’s appropriate to revisit the body of work of this American auteur, from every stone-cold classic to misunderstood masterpiece. So take a spin around the track of the Mann oeuvre on streaming over the holidays to boost your appreciation of his latest film about a man obsessively driven to professional perfection.

Though his first directorial effort, a TV movie called “The Jericho Mile” (1979) isn’t technically considered his first film, and can only be found on YouTube, it’s worth tracking down for its location shooting in Folsom Prison, which is where Mann connected with Danny Trejo, who later appeared in “Heat.” Mann’s first feature film is technically “Thief” (1981), starring James Caan as a Chicago safecracker, opposite Jim Belushi and Tuesday Weld. Chicago cop-turned-actor Dennis Farina makes his film debut. Stream “Thief” on Roku Channel or Tubi.

Mann executive produced the wildly popular and influential TV series “Miami Vice” in 1984, starring Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas as Miami vice cops Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. The series, available to stream on Tubi, Freevee or available to rent, helped to shape Miami’s own image of itself. When Mann revisited the concept in 2006 with his “Miami Vice” movie starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, he essentially broke the established aesthetic, honing in on an edgy digital look that is as nightmarish as it is dreamy. Misunderstood at the time of its release, “Miami Vice” is now hailed by many as a masterpiece. Stream it on Tubi or rent it on other digital platforms.

In 1992, Mann adapted the James Fenimore Cooper novel “The Last of the Mohicans,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis in this historical romantic epic. Rent it on all digital platforms. But 1995 brought Mann’s masterly magnum opus “Heat,” a reworking of his own TV movie “L.A. Takedown.” The film is known for the famed diner scene between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, but this sprawling three-hour crime epic is one of the best films ever made. Mann plans to adapt his bestselling 2022 crime novel “Heat 2” soon, so stream “Heat” on Netflix or rent it elsewhere.

1999’s “The Insider” is a courtroom drama of the highest order starring Russell Crowe as Big Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand and Pacino as news producer Lowell Bergman, who helped Wigand bring his information to the public. Rent it on all platforms.

Mann turned toward the biopic with 2001’s “Ali” starring Will Smith as the fiery prizefighter (available on Starz or to rent). In 2004, he started to morph his style with newly available digital technology to make the L.A. noir “Collateral” starring Tom Cruise as an assassin who jumps into the back of a cab driven by Jamie Foxx (stream it on Paramount+ or rent it elsewhere).

His digital experimentation continued throughout 2006’s “Miami Vice,” and his 2009 John Dillinger gangster picture “Public Enemies” starring Johnny Depp (stream it on Netflix, Starz or rent).

In 2022, he executive produced and directed the first episode of the Max series “Tokyo Vice,” starring Ansel Elgort as an American journalist in Tokyo, based on the memoir by Jake Adelstein. Stream it on Max in advance of Season 2 in February 2024.