Miami Vice Film Review

[Mr March]

Miami Vice (2006)

Genre: Live Action Film – Action Drama

During it’s run in the 1980’s, the Miami Vice television series distinguished itself via a stylized cast, sharp action, and some strong characterizations. With a 2006 feature film update from Michael Mann – who executive produced the series – the movie retains most of the series’ virtues in spirit if not in practice. The result, an unabashedly Mann film shot with style, cast with grace, executed with skill, but suffering from too many vices of its own to create a solid film like Mann’s previous hits Heat and Collateral.

Lacking credits and even studio logos, Miami Vice jumps right into a night club under surveillance by undercover narcotics detectives James "Sonny" Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo “Rico†Tubbs (Jamie Foxx). In the process, an old informant of the duo calls Crockett about an FBI setup to catch some drug dealers that’s gone bad. The FBI wants to take down the crooks but their internal security has been compromised, so they recruit the two outside detectives Crockett and Tubbs. Acting undercover as drug transporters the pair infiltrate a large drug organization, Crockett becoming emotionally involved with the shady Isabella (Gong Li) and culminating in a big drug deal that puts Tubb’s girlfriend at risk.

Vice does a credible job of dumping the two characters into a larger crime circle normally outside their beat in Miami. The film first visually carries the audience along for a ride then drops pieces of dialogue to fill out the story. Again working with his digital cameras from previous work Collateral, Mann creates a very dark world of undercover narcotics investigation that retains focus and style without sacrificing the image. Farrel and Foxx are well cast and up to the challenge of portraying the ever-so-serious characters of the script, each bringing a grounded, realistic performance to match the nearly documentary style shooting of the film. When the movie works as a down-and-dirty, in-the-trenches story, it works well. When more cinematic drama is required, this is where both the shooting style and the script hits a few speed bumps.

Director Michael Mann’s choppy, on-the-fly editing for Vice is his method meant to simulate the main character’s undercover life as a fluid, ever-changing playing field; it’s do or die. Sounds great in theory, but in practice the film feels very disconnected from one scene to the next. Miami Vice lacks a coherent flow and during the lengthy middle scenes of the film the movie just can’t create any subtle buildup and the actors can’t create any feeling leading to a dramatic climax. The film does have an explosive finale with all the you-are-there camera work and visceral energy we’ve come to love from Mann’s films. Yet without a compelling ride, the payoff feels like too little, too late.

This new Miami Vice does have style, the characters do their cool act, and the villians are sufficiently menacing. Problem is, film audiences have seen style, cool, and menacing many times before nearly every summer. Vice doesn’t bring anything new that hasn’t been done in the past, especially by Mann himself. Those expecting anything as iconic as the clothing in the original 1980’s series will be disappointed and film fans expecting some drama to hold together the brief action will miss out as well.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5. A better than average summer action movie, but a less than average Michael Mann film.

[eugimon]

thanks for the review!

[Seven]

Hey Mr. March, thanks for the review!

I'm wondering, how would you rate this film among Mann's previous works? I'm a fan of Mann's stuff, so I'd be curious about where you would rank it as considering that you seem to put more balanced thought into things and seem immune to the knee-jerk fanboyism that some people bring into reviews on here about toys, movies, etc.

[Skullsixx]

I'm checkin this flick out tonight!!!

[Mr March]

I'm wondering, how would you rate this film among Mann's previous works?  I'm a fan of Mann's stuff, so I'd be curious about where you would rank it as considering that you seem to put more balanced thought into things and seem immune to the knee-jerk fanboyism that some people bring into reviews on here about toys, movies, etc.

420488[/snapback]

Miami Vice is easily the weakest Michael Mann film in over a decade. I'm a Michael Mann whore, I see as many of his films as I can, so you're in good company. If I had to rate the Mann films from my favorite on down, it'd look something like this:

Heat

The Last of the Mohicans

Collateral

The Insider

Ali

Miami Vice

Manhunter

[JsARCLIGHT]

Ali better than Vice?

Ouch.

[Ladic]

nah, anything is better than ali , but I goto agree, as much entertaining as it was, it was a subpar movie for michael mann.

[Seven]

Thanks for the response, Mr. March. Oh well, the worst that Mann could ever direct will still come out tasting like mana from heaven when in comparison to real dreck like an Uwe Boll or Paul W.S. Anderson flick.

[yellowlightman]

It felt pretty different than a regular Mann movie, I thought.

I liked it a lot, dunno if I love it yet.

People will be surprised with some of the spirit they retained from the original TV series, although no pastels.

[Die, Alien Scum!]

Ali better than Vice?

Ouch.

420527[/snapback]

And Collateral better than Manhunter? Are you high? Manhunter introduced the movie-world to Hannibal Lecter and was an awesome film done in pretty much the same fashion as the Miami Vice TV series. Sadly, Hollywood had to remake it as Red Dragon, which sucked compared to the original. Collateral was an okay film, but it falls into the same boat as Miami Vice: whoever cast it should be kicked in the balls. I'll give credit to Michael Mann for his directorial ability, but he really needs to find someone else to cast his films. That being said, the whole idea of having this in a modern-day setting rather than going back to the '80s still makes me cringe. Maybe when Blockbuster puts this on the shelves I'll spend the $4 to rent it, but there's no way I'll sit in a movie theater to watch this abomination.

[yellowlightman]

That being said, the whole idea of having this in a modern-day setting rather than going back to the '80s still makes me cringe. Maybe when Blockbuster puts this on the shelves I'll spend the $4 to rent it, but there's no way I'll sit in a movie theater to watch this abomination.

420576[/snapback]

Way to not judge it before you see it or anything.

By the way, the 80's ended 16 years ago. Get over it.

[bsu legato]

Crocket Wears A Belt! News at eleven!

[yellowlightman]

Crocket Wears A Belt! News at eleven!

420596[/snapback]

And socks!

[Vermillion21]

Thanks for the review Mr March. Despite the average rating, I'm planning on seeing this sucka!!

[Skullsixx]

Just got back from seeing this... I liked it! Unfortunately my girlfriend was feeling ill and I missed the last few minutes of the film. Damn they crank that frakin' AC!!! I left off where Crockett took Isabel to the safehouse on the beach and Rico was in the hospital with his woman. Hopefully I didn't miss much. I thought this film was much better than Ali and I enjoyed it as much as Collateral. It was obviously shot digitally and I thought it looked great. Sometimes gun flares look like crap on digital (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) and I cringe when I see the scene in Collateral where Tom Cruise is in the building and breaks through the glass because it looks like crappy video. I never had that issue with this film. I will definitely pick this up on DVD when it comes out.

[Die, Alien Scum!]

By the way, the 80's ended 16 years ago. Get over it.

420593[/snapback]

You were born in, what, 1984? You came into this world the year that the series began and 5 when it ended, so you're too young to really have any clue about the '80s other than what you've seen on VH-1's "I Love the '80s" specials. I grew up during that decade and watched the show every Friday night, with the exception of the final season. Of course by that time I was 16 and far too busy drinking with my friends on Friday evenings to care about any TV show. If you were actually old enough to have experienced the '80s and appreciated the original series, perhaps you would have an opinion similar to mine.

[GutsAndCasca]

Viva la 80's! I was a kid running around in neon-colored clothing, riding Powell and Peralta skateboards, collecting garbage pail kids. I still have the Miami vice theme song playing in my head, and I'll never forget the opening credits with the babes in the bikinis. If this movie is anywhere near as good as Collateral, then I wanna' watch it.

[myk]

Mr. March nailed it perfectly when he mentions the choppy pacing/editing, as well as Mann's failure to bring anything new to the table and genre, but to any other critics I would ask them what it is that they were looking for anyway?

This movie emulated the original t.v. series in every conceivable way: locale, cars, casinos, cash, drugs, women, laughable story, etc.

On that note, I say that Mann's Vice is a solid effort that accurately and successfuly emulates the original t.v. series. Revolutionary or Shakespearian this movie is not buy hey, that wasn't the point of this movie anyway.

Oh, what the frak was that business about the "chico," "chica" thing, anyway?

[yellowlightman]

You were born in, what, 1984? You came into this world the year that the series began and 5 when it ended, so you're too young to really have any clue about the '80s other than what you've seen on VH-1's "I Love the '80s" specials. I grew up during that decade and watched the show every Friday night, with the exception of the final season. Of course by that time I was 16 and far too busy drinking with my friends on Friday evenings to care about any TV show. If you were actually old enough to have experienced the '80s and appreciated the original series, perhaps you would have an opinion similar to mine.

420649[/snapback]

Well, to be quit ehonest you're delusional if you were hoping for a remake set in the 80's.

I love how Miami Vice fans automatically assume since the film isn't bathed in lame pastels and blasting Phil Collins tunes it's missing the point or an "abomination." The film actually hits on quite a few of the same ideas and styles as the original, just set in the present instead of the 80's. Given how focused the original TV series was on being relevant to current styles and trends, I would think Vice fans could appreciate the importance of setting the film in the present day. Miami Vice TV was about contemporary times, it just happened those times were the 80's. Much is the same as the new film. To those who grew up watching it in the 80's it might be a nice nostalgia trip, but it was never intended to be that.

[Skullsixx]

By the way, the 80's ended 16 years ago. Get over it.

420593[/snapback]

You were born in, what, 1984? You came into this world the year that the series began and 5 when it ended, so you're too young to really have any clue about the '80s other than what you've seen on VH-1's "I Love the '80s" specials. I grew up during that decade and watched the show every Friday night, with the exception of the final season. Of course by that time I was 16 and far too busy drinking with my friends on Friday evenings to care about any TV show. If you were actually old enough to have experienced the '80s and appreciated the original series, perhaps you would have an opinion similar to mine.

420649[/snapback]

Viva la 80's! I was a kid running around in neon-colored clothing, riding Powell and Peralta skateboards, collecting garbage pail kids. I still have the Miami vice theme song playing in my head, and I'll never forget the opening credits with the babes in the bikinis. If this movie is anywhere near as good as Collateral, then I wanna' watch it.

420653[/snapback]

I am definitely in that 80's crowd too!!! I grew up then as well, and the chica/chico thing is Latin slang. Remember they went to Havana? Mann would never lower himself by doing a remake set in the 80's. C'mon dude... wake up!

Edited July 29, 2006 by Skullsixx

[Kin]

The original was always the best...

[Dobber]

Me and a buddy saw it last night. We both really liked it. I went in thinking not so good things because of the so so reviews and hearing what people said comming out of the theater, but ended up being pleasantly suprised.

I too thought it emulated the original well....it's kind of like a more realistic modern day MV would be like....not saying that this was realistic but more of what you would expect if the show were to come out today. I think too many people are just used to constant bang bang force-fead stories (John Woo) anymore that a slower more go with the flow try to figure it out story just doesn't appeal to many of today's younger audiences but wasn't cerebral enough for the older crowd. Heat or Ronin this was not, but I really liked itbetter than Collateral and Roninbut not as much as Heat.

P.S. Yes much hasbeen done before, but then again just about everything has.

Chris

[Mr March]

I'm glad you all enjoyed the review. But make sure you see the film for yourselves if you're really interested. If you're an action movie junkie like me, you'll appreciate the film much more than the average summer action flick. If you're a film fan like me, you will find it lacking for a Mann film.

Oh, and leave the 1980's at the door to the theatre

[Skullsixx]

I'm glad you all enjoyed the review.  But make sure you see the film for yourselves if you're really interested.  If you're an action movie junkie like me, you'll appreciate the film much more than the average summer action flick.  If you're a film fan like me, you will find it lacking for a Mann film.

Oh, and leave the 1980's at the door to the theatre

420722[/snapback]

You hit the nail on the head with that 80's comment!!!

[areaseven]

Well, you just saved me $10. Thanks for the review, Mr. March.

[yellowlightman]

I too thought it emulated the original well....it's kind of like a more realistic modern day MV would be like....not saying that this was realistic but more of what you would expect if the show were to come out today.

420707[/snapback]

I thought it was an interesting mix of realism and a bit of campyness. The firefights certainly weren't your typical Hollywood stuff, but at the same time the movie had a lot of cheesy moments you wouldn't find in a movie like Heat.

[Dobber]

I too thought it emulated the original well....it's kind of like a more realistic modern day MV would be like....not saying that this was realistic but more of what you would expect if the show were to come out today.

420707[/snapback]

I thought it was an interesting mix of realism and a bit of campyness. The firefights certainly weren't your typical Hollywood stuff, but at the same time the movie had a lot of cheesy moments you wouldn't find in a movie like Heat.

420805[/snapback]

Yup, that was my point.

Chris

[CoryHolmes]

All these comments are compairing it to Heat. What if I didn't like Heat that much? Think I'll still enjoy Miami Vice?

[Dobber]

Possibly, MV isn't as serious as Heat was....it's sort of like......if MV was trying to be more like Heat but still has the nuances of MV like the flashy cars,planes, speedboat, and the romance/love interest that Don Johnson seemed to get everyweek.

Chris

[EXO]

Spoilerish reply:

The middle part with Gong li was pretty long and contrived. I bet it would have worked great over 6 episodes of a TV series, but basically it went like this:

Crockett: Would you like a drink.

Gong Li: How about f'n my brains out in Havana instead. Do you know how to salsa?

Crocket: Yes!

Gong Li: I love you forever!

But after that it was awesome. Good guys, bad guys. Guns! Guts and brains all over the place! Good old violence!

I liked it more than Heat. Heat was pretty boring except for the big gun fight. I'm not a big fan of Bad Boys or those overblown action movies, but I like good pacing and a story in my cops and robbers and this pretty much delivered. Oh man they blew away those guys with a 50mm sniper rifle... OMG it was glorious!

3.5 biatches! Half a point off for the ugly HD cinematography. I can't believe the guy that brought us that beautiful lush scenes from Last Of The Mohicans is all into this into this wannabe gritty look. It's not stylish, it's crap. I think maybe the look of Tony Scott's Man on Fire would better suit this movie.

[Dobber]

I agree Exo, glad someon else liked it too!

And Since EXO brought it up (spoilerish)

I never got such a fealing of power before, interms of what a powerful gun could do to a human, until I saw those 50 cals blowing apart those men. Me and my friend where like "OH poo!" I don't know why but that was just intense for me!!

Chris

[JsARCLIGHT]

While I still have no plans to go see Vice, a few friends of mine (who are beat cops) went to see it yesterday and they told me about it today at the gun range. They all liked it but they seemed to agree that the violence level (read = graphic gore) was waaaaay over the top, "hollywoodized" and nowhere near in line with reality. As I have not seen the movie, I cannot say if they where right or wrong.

I will say though that Vice appears to have nudged Pirates out of first place for this weekend boxoffice totals. I wonder how long it can hold the number one place?

[Dobber]

Really? I didn't think it was that gorey, especially compaired to most Hollywoodised gunfights, but your buddies would def know.

Chris

[yellowlightman]

While I still have no plans to go see Vice, a few friends of mine (who are beat cops) went to see it yesterday and they told me about it today at the gun range. They all liked it but they seemed to agree that the violence level (read = graphic gore) was waaaaay over the top, "hollywoodized" and nowhere near in line with reality. As I have not seen the movie, I cannot say if they where right or wrong.

421013[/snapback]

I didn't think the violence itself was too Hollywood-ized, people weren't running around guns blazing or anything. What was over the top was the deaths, people's blood getting splattered on walls, grenades shot through chests, poo like that.

[JsARCLIGHT]

That is what they were talking about, the over use of blood and gore effects in the gun fights.