I think music is Michael Mann’s worst aesthetic choice in nearly every TV show and movie he does. It works usually, but with a great more orchestral score vs. whatever he likes to do, his movies would be elevated by at least double (kind of like his decisions for early adoption of HD, though he and his cinematographer would vehemently disagree film is better and did with fanboi Chris Nolan). That’s just Mann’s taste and all directors are empowered with that taste to do what they want. I know who I’d want to compose every single thing with if I could get him, but other people like other people. It’s kind of like how the score of Skyfall elevated just an ok movie into something much better and how a great movie can be harmed by a weak score (Hell or High Water).
With some of the technology out today where I can remove music, it might be a fun exercise to re-score a movie of his with different music and see how different it plays. Heat is one that would probably benefit highly from this.
His writing is often so riveting that you get glued to his stuff and Vega$ for a forum built from gamblers is a great PI show that I like way more than Miami Vice, which is horrifically and furiously of its time.
Fun fact: I once sat riveted to a PPV scrambled channel for the movie The Insider (vid scrambled sound came through). I didn’t get to see it for real until a few years later and I was still riveted to that story.
Re: Michael Mann
I’ll leave criticism of his movies and other shows to your much more capable hands, and I credit Jan Hammer with the music for the 1st few years. But the look and feel (“In the Air Tonight” driving montage, are you Fing kidding me?) The lights, the cars at night on watered down roads, Fing iconic. (and some of us haven’t worn socks or shaved for anything but court and church since) I do confess I’m the perfect age for the show (High School '84-'87)
It holds, I watched it on El Rey about 5 years ago for a while before they pulled it. The music is WILD. Can’t believe the budget they must have had for that show.
