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Miami Vice (DVD, 2006)
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Entertaining Film but Characters Lack Chemistry Two cool Miami detective in two-piece suits and shades…fast speed boats on Biscayne Bay, private jets, helicopters, a Ferrari…guns, drugs, dealers and posh night clubs….welcome back Miami Vice! I've read reviews of Michael Mann's new Miami Vice movie comparing it to Miami Vice the TV series, which state that other than Crockett and Tubbs' names and skin color, there are no similarities. I beg to differ. Most noted in reviews is the absence of the pastel colors the TV series made trendy in the mid-1980s. Truth is pastels, disappeared off the show after the second season and were replaced with darker colors for the remaining three seasons it aired. Before going to see Miami Vice opening weekend, I pulled out my home-recorded video tape of the final episode of the TV series, which aired in 1989 as a two-hour made for TV movie. There was not a pastel color to be seen. In both movies, Crockett and Tubbs went undercover as drug dealers to try to get their man. The main elements in both are similar enough that there should be no question that the new Miami Vice follows the same storytelling as the TV series did. Despite the movie's genre being Action & Adventure, it plays out more like a Drama. This could be disappointing to movie-goers looking for a movie with non-stop action. The Drama versus Action in Miami Vice is more like that of "Munich", than it is of a movie like "Bad Boys". I'm a Miami resident and a Miami Vice fan from the days the TV series aired, so I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn't excellent. Even though the TV series episodes weren't either, character development in the TV show surpassed that of the movie. Don Johnson did for Miami Vice what Johnny Depp did for Pirates of the Caribbean and I think his shoes were hard to fill. Colin Farrell had none of the cockiness I loved in Johnson's character, and with his baby-face, he appeared young to be playing the veteran, often burned-out Vice detective. Jamie Fox, didn't have the charm Philip Michael Thomas brought to Ricco Tubb's character. Foxx appeared too serious, whereas Hoffman often laughed and joked-around with his partner in private. Farrell and Foxx's characters were one-dimensional. The on-screen chemistry between Johnson and Thomas' Crockett and Tubbs just wasn't there between Farrell and Foxx. Never mind the absence of pastels, who cares, it's the chemistry between the detectives that the movie lacked most. And taking into consideration that Don Johnson got top billing in the TV series, and Crockett is allegedly the main character, I found the ending credits somewhat condescending when Jamie Foxx's name appeared before Colin Ferrell's. Granted Foxx won an Academy Award and Farrell hasn't (yet), but they are both superstars, both very talented actors and both deserved equal billing. If you loved Miami Vice in the old days, you'll enjoy the movie. If you never saw the Miami Vice TV series, the movie might not be what you are expecting, but you'll probably still enjoy it. Written and Posted to eBay by meeshmiami Originally written July 30, 2006 Posted on eBay August 25, 2007Read full review
The plot of "Miami Vice" is a typically convoluted affair involving drug smugglers, undercover cops and a lot of gunfire. Such merriment has long been fodder for all manner of TV shows, of course, including a certain '80s trendsetter called "Miami Vice." What Michael Mann -- executive producer of the TV series and writer/director of the new film -- has done is take that story and strangle all the fun out of it. Mann's films tend to be melancholy, even somber ("Ali," "Collateral," etc.), but never has he seemed so hell-bent on dreariness. The story, easily handleable in a two-part TV episode, is stretched out for 133 minutes, its themes repeated endlessly. Occasional bursts of action provide temporary respite. Then it's back to the dreariness. The fact that I've never seen an episode of "Miami Vice" does not appear to be a liability. Are the cops known as Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) the same character types as their TV counterparts were? Probably not: I'm guessing the TV versions had personalities. The movie versions are bleak, taciturn figures who are interchangeable with one another. One of them has a girlfriend and one is single, but that's as far as it goes. (The one only has a girlfriend for the same reason all movie cops have girlfriends: so she can be abducted by the bad guys.) Crockett and Tubbs are Miami police officers who go undercover to stop a huge drug-smuggling ring that involves white supremacists and good old-fashioned South American kingpins. There are several layers of employees between the street and the head honcho, and one of those layers is Isabella (Gong Li), a Chinese-Cuban femme fatale for whom Crockett has a serious case of the hots. Despite it being the worst idea either of them has ever had -- which is saying a lot, considering the hairstyle he has chosen -- they embark on a personal relationship that's bound to run into snags when he either a) reveals his identity and arrests her, or b) reveals his identity and has to kill her. Mann has the right idea in providing no superfluous exposition, instead dropping us right into Crockett and Tubbs' shadowy world and letting us catch up as we go. One must pay attention to the dialogue or risk becoming hopelessly lost; in the debate over how much to spell things out, Mann errs on the side of under-explaining. The film has, in other words, the appearance of being a very smart, sophisticated crime thriller. Except that it's not. The story, as I said, is elementary, dressed up with shaky camerawork and cryptic dialogue but still a by-the-numbers undercover-cop story -- MINUS the thrills that usually go along with it. Because in Mann's attempt to make something artsy and grown-up, he has neglected the element of fun. Listening to Colin Farrell and Gong Li fret soberly about their future as a couple, which they do in about 1,000 different scenes, is not my idea of a good time. Please let us know if this review was helpful (click below) If you have any questions about this review please contact us at contact@ck-auctions.com Posted by CK-AuctionsRead full review
I won't waste any of your time. The thing that took this movie down was Colin Farrell. He has awesome hair(IMO), but his acting is atrocious. Infact, it seems as if he's playing the same character for all of his movies. So now setting that aside, it's a pretty good disc. There are some nice bonus features, including footage of the cast training with the weapons used in the film (but not the Barrett 50 Caliber, unfortunately), and how certain scenes were shot. I'd say that my favorite things in this movie were the scenes involving Sonny's Ferrari F430, the scene where Sonny and Isabella in the MTI 39 Series (a beautifully shot scene; the way the waters are captured makes them look endless, plus the song used is great), and the gunfights. For most, this film is probably worth a rent, but not a purchase.Read full review
Never having been a fan of the TV series (but I confess to never having seen an entire episode), I had no expectations going in, except to be entertained with Mann's customary flair for terse dialogue and stunning visuals. And on that level, I wasn't disappointed. I'd also read that the film wastes no time establishing any back story for the uninitiated, and so it proves. In Zen-like fashion Crockett and Tubbs simply ARE, which allows the film to kick off in the thick of the action. The best way to watch this film is as a police procedural, with a side order of oddly yearning romanticism. No concessions are made to the audience in terms of explaining the cops terminology and the limited exposition is justified as one group of criminals explaining how their operation works to their new collaborators. Once you realize that you don't have to register every nuance and detail to appreciate the plot, you can sit back and enjoy some eerily beautiful Hi-Def cinematography. Petrol-heads and fans of unfeasibly fast motorboats will also find much to enjoy. The "mojitos in Havana" romantic interlude was a pleasant surprise, with Farrell having to flex more than just his eyebrows to convince us that this probably is the ultimate first date. The jury's still out for me on Mann's use of music. The blaring MOR rock fits stylistically but can cheapen some scenes. And it would be nice to more scenes sound tracked by near-silence, as is achieved very effectively in a stake-out/rescue scenario later in the film. Farrell and Foxx do work well together, indeed its refreshing to have a cop pairing without all the cutesy buddy stuff. Nevertheless, when one tells the other "I will never doubt you" it's almost a statement of love, coming as it does out of a void of professionalism. The parallel-plotting is a little overdone, with not one but two "lover in jeopardy" scenes and the dialogue could have been better layered/mixed for clarity, given the obscure nature of some of the procedural references. However, much of the dialogue was laugh-aloud funny in its Mamet-like moments and Mann's action direction is of course superb. "Miami Vice" is enjoyable but not as emotionally involving as Heat or as kinetic as Collateral.Read full review
In the 1980's TV brought us the mesmerizing tales of "Miami Police" Narcotics Detectives Crockett and Tubbs in "Miami Vice". Set amongst beautiful backdrops of a gorgeous "Miami" TV had us entranced into this Caribbean Crime-Caper and sold our loyalty to it weekly. Today "Miami Vice" (UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT) has hit the big screen and doesn't miss a beat !!!! (The same Producers and Directors that brought us "HEAT" and "Collateral"...) - From an explosive and hectic opener, (make sure you are completely settled in before you start the movie....) we can see that "Miami Vice" is loaded with cartel drugs, explosions, kidnappings, high-speed pursuits on land and water, seductive women and temptations, which "Crockett and Tubbs" constantly battle as they struggle to stay on the right side of the LAW. I wish we had this a few years ago, while Hollywood was stumbling through remake upon remake of films already made. Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell could not have been more perfectly casted. (I honestly don't feel that any other 2 actors would have pulled this off so intensely). Farrell "marries" his role as Crockett and Foxx only takes his lead in adopting "Tubbs"....as the two set-out to Investigate the Murder of Federal Agents and are spun into a maddening world that explodes into high-tech warfare, gun-battles and special-effects worthy of "Independance Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow". (Meaning the effects are breathtaking and fuel an adrenalized action-adventure that I feel has been a long-time coming). Not since "Bad Boys", (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence), has a Cop-Movie been so hip, upbeat and adrenalized....minus the comedy. "Miami Vice" presents us with a dark and underground vision of Miami, (it seems almost always nightime). The underworld/underbelly of "Miami" is so dark it feels worthy of "Scarface". (Say Goodbye to constant shots of "Miami's" gorgeous side....and their is nothing humorous about it). The Cinematography is absolutely amazing and makes the look and feel of this "Miami Vice" all the more enthralling !!!! (Applauds to Producers for recognizing that this film will be.... AND IS.... a major success without turning it into a cliched one-liner of comedy setbacks like "The Dukes of Hazzard" turned out to be). "Miami Vice" (UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT) hits hard and you will love every pulse-pounding second !!!! PLEASE SEE MY OTHER REVIEWS FOR GREAT FILMS !!!!**Read full review
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