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This may leave a bad taste in the mouths of conscientious viewers. We would hope that wicked men would come off looking foolish and repulsive. Dillinger's motto, included in the film's trailer, rings out: "We've havin' too good a time today. We ain't thinkin' about tomorrow." Isn't that the philosophy of the wealthy, irresponsible people who sank our nation into this present economic crisis? It doesn't sound so much like a hero's philosophy when you're one of the victims of such greed.

Still, Mann cannot shake the deeper implications of such a philosophy. He seems genuinely troubled by betrayals and moral compromises. Corrupt heroes get caught between corrupt lawmen and corrupt drug dealers in Miami Vice. A troubled hero struggles in the crossfire of corrupt Redcoats, corrupt Native Americans, and other misguided forces in The Last of the Mohicans. And justice seems impossible as the media, the law, and corporate liars contend with each other in The Insider.

It's healthy for us to join Mann in reflecting on the corrupting nature of power. Just as a farm boy like Dillinger can turn wicked, so men in a uniform can make terrible decisions, betray the public, and disgrace their station.

But let's also note that Mann's glamorous villains come to ruin in the end. By contrast, his heroes come to ruin as well—but the rightness of their cause is hard to deny.

To be truly heroic, we must count everything we have as loss. True courage requires a living sacrifice.

In retrospect, the characters that shine most brightly in Mann's films—for me, anyway—are those who encounter the seduction of individual glory and reject it for the greater good.

In The Insider, Lowell Bergman wants to take down Big Tobacco, and he won't let offers of money or fame cloud his vision. He will put the truth on the air for all of America to see, even if it wrecks his career. He'll risk it all to bring down those heartless corporate executives.

Russell Crowe as Jeffrey Wigand in 'The Insider'

Even more heroic, Jeffrey Wigand—a flawed and fearful man—finds the courage to stand up and tell the truth, knowing that he may lose his career, his family, and his life in the process. And he suffers devastation. For this moviegoer, Wigand is the most affecting and admirable of Mann's myth-sized men. His choice reveals the truth, which is more powerful than any machine gun.

Mann is right to see that the world is not about good guys and bad guys. We don't live in a world of "white hats" and "black hats," and when we decide that we do, we open ourselves to horrible presumption and error. Whatever team you're on, not one of us is truly righteous. So says the Good Book.

He's right to blur the lines, kindle questions, and confuse the issue. On the front lines of good versus evil, things can get very confusing. Sometimes, men can blaze their way to hell with the most lawful methods. Others, crime on their minds, may be reacting against even greater crimes, and groping for the freedom and love that they need.

But Mann's conclusions leave some things clear. Truth is good. Justice is possible. And love is costly.

That is the messy area Michael Mann explores. And I'm grateful for his films, for the ways he challenges me to wrestle with these questions.

© 2009 Jeffrey Overstreet subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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