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The two best words to describe the 2006 motion picture Miami Vice are "stylish"
and "intense." One of those descriptors without the other could lead one to
suspect a pretentious bore or a pointless exercise in action but, by pairing
them, writer/director Michael Mann has crafted a gripping, visually interesting
motion picture that doesn't fail on the basis of its needlessly convoluted plot
and its hit-or-miss character arcs. As police dramas go, Miami Vice never loses
its audience, in part because it is unpredictable (you never feel like anyone,
even the lead characters, is destined to survive the proceedings) and in part
because it never slows down. It may be lower tier Mann, not up there with Heat,
but it is still compelling.
Calling the film Miami Vice is unnecessary - a marketing artifact. Aside from a
few character names, little of the 1980s TV show remains in the motion picture.
The movie is more reminiscent of Mann's films Heat and Collateral than it is of
the television program his name became associated with. Viewers who go into
Miami Vice with the baggage of expectations may be disappointed by what they
find. Like The Untouchables, this is a case in which the big screen version is a
complete re-imagining of its small screen forebear. There are no cutting edge
fashions. The music is new (even "In the Air Tonight" is a cover). The theme
song is nowhere to be found. And there are no cameos or instances of original
stars reprising roles. (Although Edward James Olmos was offered the opportunity
to return as Lt. Castillo, scheduling conflicts with Battlestar Galactica forced
him to decline.)
The premise has Miami cops Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Rico Tubbs (Jamie
Foxx) going undercover to discover and plug a leak in the FBI that has resulted
in a busted sting and several deaths. Posing as transportation experts, they
meet with drug smuggler Jose Yero (John Oritz) and his associate, Isabella (Gong
Li), to propose that they replace Yero's current distribution apparatus and
handle shipments of his illegal merchandise to the United States. Yero is
suspicious, but his boss, Montoya (Luis Tosar), overrules him. Meanwhile,
Isabella acts as Montoya's go-between and begins an affair with Crockett.
When it comes down to it, there's not a lot of action in Miami Vice, and most of
it occurs during the final 30 minutes. Mann is an expert at sleight of hand,
however, and the film seems more combustible than it is. A lot of that has to do
with the throbbing soundtrack and a pervasive sense of danger. Scenes such as
the one in which Crockett and Tubbs introduce themselves to Yero aren't violent,
but they bubble with the potential for a bloodbath. Likewise, Crockett's affair
with Isabella treads along the razor's edge of betrayal and catastrophe.
The romantic interaction of the leads help to humanize them, broadening them
beyond the confines of the stereotypical "rogue cops" - tight partners who don't
play by the rules. There's chemistry in the seemingly unlikely pairing of Gong
Li and Colin Farrell. Less attention is paid to the liaison between Jamie Foxx
and Naomie Harris' Trudy Joplin, but this relationship has an important outcome.
Farrell and Foxx are fine in their roles as long as one doesn't start comparing
them to Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. We believe these two are the
smartest, slickest cops to do this job - fearless in the face of death and
willing to risk everything. One senses that the real payoff may not be getting
the bad guys, but getting off on the adrenaline of the chase and the thrill of
dancing with the devil. International Chinese superstar Gong Li has difficulty
with her English and Spanish (although, to be fair, there was little of her
minimal dialogue that I didn't understand), but she does her best acting
non-verbally. Her sex scene with Farrell is moving, as we see tears in her eyes.
Thereafter, we observe the previously icy exterior thaw. John Ortiz is okay as
the chief antagonist, although he's hardly likely to challenge Alan Rickman or
Dennis Hopper for a spot in the Villains' Hall of Fame.
There's a noticeable absence of red in Miami Vice, with blues being amplified.
Contrast is low in many night scenes, with noticeable grain. Whether these
stylistic choices benefit Miami Vice is open to debate, but they give the film a
distinct look. In many ways, the movie has a dirtier, grittier feel than its TV
counterpart. The '80s Miami Vice was pastels; the 2006 version is dark and at
times almost monochromatic.
The best way to view this new Miami Vice is as something unconnected to its
previous incarnation. That way, this version and the new interpretations of the
actors can be allowed to stand on their own. As cop movies go, Miami Vice does
interesting things with unoriginal material. This is to its credit - movies with
more have failed, while this one succeeds on the basis of its fervor and
immediacy. It's not the ultimate as either a cop movie or a TV adaptation, but
it's better than average in both categories.
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