Miami Vice (2006)

bad movie

First of all, I'd like to know: Why is Colin Farrell so popular? He's an awful actor, and I hate every movie I've ever seen him in. Jamie Foxx is decent, but this movie is way too long. Farrell and Foxx have no chemistry, but you can't really blame Foxx: it's not easy to have chemistry with a block of wood. With someone other than Farrell and a shorter running time, this movie could have been good. August 5, 2008

I'm a Mann Fann - and Likely Biased :)

I can still recall my youthful evenings watching television at home and my parents settling in to watch what appeared to be a too-cool-for-an-eight-year-old-kid-to-watch-show, Miami Vice. The television series ran for five seasons on NBC, from 1984-1989. But the action and drama of the show still sucked me in. Alongside favorites like Knight Rider, Riptide and The A-Team, Miami Vice seemed uber-cool, even if I spent a lot of the time confused about the more complex plots.

With nostalgia driving the way, it was only a matter of time that director Michael Mann revisited his creation. On July 28, 2006, fans got what they wanted when Miami Vice hit the big screen, 17 years after the original series left the airwaves, with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as lead characters Crockett and Tubbs.

As long as I can remember, Michael Mann has always been one of my favorite producer-directors. The look and feel of his work is top notch, and this film is no exception. I almost forget about pacing and plot because the aesthetics of the film are so breathtaking. The visuals that made the original TV series innovative and provocative are ratcheted up in this film version, depicting a Miami bathed in sun drenched beauty and tanned with exotic locale and sweeping settings. Undercover vice cops Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs dress in the highest fashion, visit posh night clubs and drive exotic European sports cars.

While Mann sought to reinvent Miami Vice with the film, many of these traits are in direct homage to the original television series, updated and remixed with mid-2000s sensibilities.

The film itself is an intricate look inside a complex sting operation, where Crockett and Tubbs must go deep undercover to track down and bring to justice drug smuggling arms dealers who have killed three FBI agents and an informant. Simply put, it's a typical Miami Vice story, but told in such a complex manner that you really have to pay attention to make sure you don't miss anything.

The movie blends action with drama while showcasing Mann's excruciatingly detailed visual flair. As for the plot, critics reviews were mixed. However, many of the harsh reviews still praised the film as worthy entertainment.

This film updates a classic television franchise with a glossy, action-filled feature that packs enough wallop to satisfy casual fans with a hunger for complex, dramatic crime tales. This one ranks as one of my favorite crime dramas and you need not be a fan of the original TV series to watch and enjoy the film. Miami Vice would eventually gross $136 million at the box office.

(I originally posted this review at my website: jasonhink.com) August 2, 2008

Miami Diced

In defense of the TV show, Miami Vice was cutting edge in the time period that it came out in. Even though it might be considered corny by today's standards, it was a good show. Miami Vice the movie is not a good movie is not good movie at all. Michael Mann's Heat is one of my favorite flicks of the past and Collateral turned out to be one of 2005's best surprises but here he falls flat. Miami Vice looks good visually but the movie moves at an old man's pace. It never goes beyond the tale of two cops Crockett(Colin Farrell) and Tubbs(Jamie Foxx) who go deep undercover to bust a drug ring. Crockett gets into an uninteresting relationship with Gong Li's character(whose name I forgot) and ends up getting them into trouble with the buyer. YAWN. There is no chemistry between Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell's character and they both look bored out of their skulls. Not only is there no chemistry between Jamie and Colin, there is also no chemistry between Gong Li's character(whose accent makes it hard to understand her) and Colin Farrell's character. They not only have a bland relationship with each other but they have the most boring sex you will ever see on screen. Hell, Morticia and Gomez of the Addams Family have more chemistry than these two. Both Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell deliver their lines in a deep voice that makes them sound as ridiculous as a teenage guy trying to impress a girl by talking in a deep tone plus did I mention that is almost no action in this movie. This movie is billed as an action flick but action rarely happens. Most of the time Miami Vice the movie is a dull drama with limited action sequences. In short if you're a fan of the TV show the movie is named after you wont like this one. At least Miami Vice was exciting. This movie is about as dull as wheat bread. July 24, 2008

michael mann's best work ever

omg, i love miami vice & i watched it so many times that i had to purchase it three times so far, beautiful action movie with romance, the romance between colin and gong li is so intese and so real,it's awesome with a sad ending, i enjoyed it soooooooooo much, i hope michael mann would make the sequel and i can't wait for it, god willing.


it's a beautiful movie which i enjoy watching over and over again. June 17, 2008

Next time on cop drama

I only vaguely remember the prime-time tv series this movie shares its title with, but I'm quite sure it was nothing like this ham fisted Too-Fast-Too-Furious style "cop" drama. Where do I even start with this one? How about a basic plot summary: a couple of super-cops, who are best friends, one black the other white, are approached by shadowy FBI or DEA or Government type guys. Apparently the FBI/DEA/whatever agents fudged up so obviously these super cops, who speed around town all day in flashy sports cars, are the only ones awesome enough to infiltrate the drug lord's inner circle. Invariably the cops succeed, but have to deal with complications and one of cops nearly loses his way, being seduced by a woman... the drug lord's girlfriend. Sound familiar?

One of my favorite exchanges was halfway in, when Foxx says to Farrell, "So what's going on?" Collin says, "As in?" Fox: "As in there is undercover and then there is 'Which way is up?'" Collin replies, "You think I'm in so deep I forgot?" Fox says "I will never doubt you." Then, if I remember correctly they kiss. I could be mistaken about that last part, but such trite Tv-cop dialogue is all this movie offers. I'm dead serious. Every line is terrible. In fact, every minute of the movie is so laced with cliche you'd swear you're watching a farcical send-up of the genre... except that the movie takes itself so seriously the dvd might have a stick up its butt. There is at least one rather grotesquely violent scene early on, and elsewhere I got the impression Michael Mann was trying hard to make this film seem "gritty".

Even so, most of the time I spent watching this pile I was laughing out loud at the inept writing, acting and forced chic of costumes and accessories. The editorial reviewer here called it 'stylish,' but apart from the fact that everyone in the movie wears expensive suits, drives fast cars and has a hot girlfriend, there really is no style in evidence, only thin artifice. I really don't know who would appreciate stuff like this, but apparently someone does, because every year Hollywood coughs up inane, expensive looking dreck like this. Please don't waste time or money on this garbage. Try Hot Fuzz instead. It's genuinely funny, stylish in an English kind of way, and is smart enough to realize and even mock the inherent cliche of cop-buddy movies. June 1, 2008

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