Director Michael Mann has always had a fascination with movie characters who have done hard time in prison. A meticulous researcher famous for developing extensive backstories for his characters, Mann has long approached filmmaking like an anthropologist hellbent on showing the origin of his character’s motivations. In his many crime thrillers, the main roles are often those of hardened ex-convicts, many of whom live by a rigid doctrine. Some of the actors Mann has cast in his films have even been incarcerated themselves, including two alums from his most-lauded crime film, Heat Danny Trejo and Kevin Gage.