Thief
How the fuck did Michael Mann make the perfect movie FIRST TRY? The diner scene, the intricate details of what goes into a heist, the camera work, the score… everything is just operating at an elite level. The moment I watched the diner scene I was hooked, brilliant demonstration in raw simplicity in filmmaking. Contrast that with my other favourite scenes in the movie; 5 minutes of a vault door being blasted by some hot plasma rod, and Frank achieving what he thought was his “happy ending” (this scene was almost ruined for me because I mistook James Cann for Jim Belushi and thought Jessie had cheated on Frank, sorry for doubting you Jessie)
Frank’s attempt at a stoic, nihilistic view of life, keeping everyone at arms length, comes to a head when he kicks Jessie and his son out. I thought the way he did it was reasonable since I thought he found out she cheated. Then I watch it back and realised the anger welling inside him is from being stripped of all control, and he takes it out on someone who wants nothing more than to stand with him. I can forgive Frank for all of this since he turns into the coolest person in the planet for the last 10 minutes.