Customer Reviews

Miami Vice (Unrated Director's Cut)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

Most of the reviewers of this movie have completely missed the point. If you go into it thinking you are going to see an over the top version of the show you watched growing up, you will be disappointed. If you take it for what it is, Michael Mann's updated vision of the show he created with no rules or censorship, you are in for a great ride. I found most reviews of this movie very irritating because they all compared it to the tv show. No one was willing to open up to something different. It is not the 80's anymore. The movie is set it present times. The Rolling Stone review nailed the point of the movie exactly (the only accurate review in my opinion). Mann's directing and use of HD cinematography are top notch and submerse you into a world of undercover narcotic cops. This isn't Bad Boys (even though I loved that film) and Michael Mann isn't Michael Bay. I agree with the other reviewer who stated that this film is not for the nascar group. There is so much going on that is does need multiple viewings to fully appreciate. If you pay attention and fully get the movie, you will agree that it is a awsome ride. The movie's climax alone was worth the price of admission.

Two things that crack me up in reading reviews of this movie are: 1) when folks point out all the "unrealistic" things in the movie, and 2) when folks point out how silly it is that Tubbs and Crocket are so somber and serious. Among other things, buying this dvd gets you fantastic extras, including two minimovies on the realism (basically, how millions of dollars and months of preproduction were spent copying things exactly), plus a full length commentary by Michael Mann, which is the best commentary I've ever heard for a movie. You learn that the script was basically written after extensive interviews with undercover DEA agents and professional informants. Yes, some DEA and FBI stuff gets laid on Crockett and Tubbs (who, technically, are Miami Vice) but for those who think the whole thing is an elaborate fantasy and that only "The Wire" tells you how reality works, you should know that almost everything is based on fact down to the tiniest detail. In fact, one of the reason Crockett and Tubbs are so somber and serious and have so little to say (no donut jokes) is that they spent months shadowing the guys who really do this and they modeled their performances on how these guys really are. It's a very intense and edgy thing to be undercover, and the guys who are the deepest really are flying planes and making deals in foreign countries all on their own with no backup and with crime syndicates doing extensive background checks on them.

The movie will obviously disappoint anyone looking for a conventional narrative. We don't have an obvious story arc, and the audience is expected to figure out what's going on without lots of repetition. (For example, the reason they're undercover is because of a leak in the Federal command superstructure, but if you were munching on your popcorn for that line, you're out of luck.) I saw the movie in the theater and on dvd, and I actually preferred the dvd, because I could catch lines that were inaudible in the theater. If there's one complaint I have about the film, it's that Gong Li can be very hard to understand. That said, Mann's commentary taught me that some of the key players in this world are multilingual and aren't necessarily speaking their native language. Again, something that seems like a Hollywood mistake ("they got an actress who can't pronounce English") may not be off the mark.

What this movie succeeds in doing, beyond any movie I've seen, is to make you feel like you're actually there. Mann's pioneering work in filming at night, plus his breakthrough work in aerial filming, go to places film has never been before. In addition, he doesn't use many "effects." When a car is shot up by a canon-rifle, you're watching it really happen. So you actually feel like you're at a nighttime drug buy, or along the Miami river, or in speedboat, or in Havana. On a side note, a number of reviewers have mentioned how unrealistic it is that Crocket just drives his boat to Havana. Listen to Mann's commentary: that really is Colin Farrell driving that speedboat 70 miles an hour off the tip of Florida, which would take him less than 80 minutes to get to Havana. Again, it seems like viewers don't want to feel like they're actually there because they think they're being duped. But it's like they're used to what counts as "this is real" from movies. The same people probably thought "Traffic" was realistic, when it was a great example of Hollywood's "realism" which is often cliche in itself [hand held cameras, melodramatic acting, tragic figures -- "oh this is the street!"].

A fantastic dvd to buy, which amazing extras, a cinematic experience that feels new every time I watch it, and a compelling film that challenges the audience to do the thinking.

P.S. For those who wonder what "director's cut" means, Mann has really only added a few minutes of footage. To me, it smoothes out the beginning and the end, but you may not even notice.

As a big fan of the TV show - and this big screen adaptation - I am puzzled by the many claims the movie "bears no resemblance" to the series that inspired it. Obviously those who think this only watched a few episodes from the first two seasons. Mann basically distilled the core elements that make the TV series a continuing cult favorite - the brooding atmosphere, the sporadic violence, the corrupt officials, the tense sense of paranoia, the doomed romances - into a single, stand alone, epic neo-noir. By de-emphasizing the 80s fashions and pastel palatte (which fools a lot of people into mis-remembering the series as "camp" when it fact it was a cutting-edge, gritty cop noir) Mann has basically updated the concept while staying true to its roots. Crockett is still a lonely hothead, Tubbs is still the cooler, level-headed partner, Castillo is still a low-talking no-nonsense leader. True fans know even the fashions and tone of the series evolved with each successive season. Mann's initial take on the TV "Vice" - that its a hardboiled, stylish reflection of its era, not a nostalgia trip - is wisely retained in the new film. The show was never about Looking Back, it was about the Here and Now (which is now There and Then). So the movie is likewise set in the present, which is not the 80s. Otherwise, the movie is completely true to the heart and spirit of the series that spawned it, and Mann is in top form. This is not a remake, it's a continuation of the original concept.

What's wrong with all the critics? Always comparing to that 80's show. Sure the movie has the same title, pastel colors here and there. But it's different, it's really good.
Time moved on guys.
This is the third time I watched the movie. It is a Michael Mann film, meaning it's perfect. Terrific script, great action, beautiful music, wonderful acting, perfect frames.
Just don't start comparing. Trust Michael Mann's professionalism. After all he's done Collateral, Heat, etc.etc. (and of course produced the original series) He knows what he's doing.
Both Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx do a great job. I have to admit I was never a real fan of the series. It was too much of a show, too entertaining for my taste. Crime and crime solving was as much fun as sipping rum by the pool watching the bikinis show off. I think that's wrong. Crime is wrong, dark and dirty. Going undercover, trying to stop things from getting worse is one of the most dangerous professions on earth, deserving our utmost respect. That's what needs to be transmitted. Michael Mann does a great job here. O.k., it's fiction and stylish, nothing like The Corner, but it's soooo good. Keeps you on the edge of your seat for the full 140 minutes.
The story is not very complicated. An undercover drug deal goes wrong. Crockett and Tubbs decide to take over and finish off the bad guys. It takes them about two hours. Don't worry, it's a wild ride, and they need every minute of it. Colin is ever as slick as Don Johnson - a much better voice! Jamie is much tougher than Philip Michael Thomas and it's good that he is. After all, as I said, this is not a pool party, this is a very dark story on an undercover job to stop one of the baddest Columbians around. There is a second storyline, Colin falling in love with the top gangster's wife. It's convincing and Colin does a great job in showing his doubts about his choices - even in the close-ups.
On the HD DVD transfer. It's extremely good. I've watched it with a friend on a huge screen. The speedboats almost spat the salty ocean water into my face. Very impressive! Get it!

A literally very dark movie. Sometimes it's hard to see what's going on. You'll probably have a headache after watching it! It's pretty low-key in comparison with the T.V. series, but this film version is truer to Mann's original vision. Thankfully it's not a buddy-buddy cop caper movie and we don't witness the usual inane banter and wisecracking. However, if i have one criticism of this and most other Michael Mann movies it's that they have absolutely no humour in them. Heat could be regarded as an exception but that's down to Al Pacino's overacting rather than director's input! That said Miami Vice is pretty riveting stuff. Jamie Foxx is good enough in the role but doesn't have too much to do. However Colin Farrell is totally miscast. He's looks like an early twenty-something playing dress-up, and dress-up with a mullet and tache no less! (by his appearance i imagine he was intending to audition for a Metallica bio-pic but wandered into the wrong room) They should have got a more mature actor for this role. I mean we're supposed to believe that Foxx and Farrell have been together for years and trust each other implicity. It just doesn't work with Farrell in the roll. Also, he has zero chemistry with Gong-Li, but it's hard to blame Farrell for that as I couldn't understand a word she said in the whole movie. She should have had a translater. I surprised Farrell didn't say "pardon?" or "come again?" at least once to her. I don't dislike Farrell but he's extremely limited and I think he's more ideally suited to those slick, cocky roles that Cruise used to do in the '80s - Top Gun, Color of Money, Days of Thunder - where action sequences would distract from his limitations. Excellent direction by Mann and good entertainment throughout but doubtful you're wife or girlfriend would watch it with you, unless she wants to see Colin Farrell dressed up as a redneck!

The bottom line on the film is that is a very smart, tightly paced, action-packed police thriller with beautiful cinematography and great performances underscored by a compulsive tension that builds from frame 1 until the end of the movie.

The bottom line on the public is that because the film is so unconventional and densely plotted, it left many of our Nascar-lovin' brethren in the dust. Too bad. They're all lined up to take shots at a film which can only be described as "boring" by a viewer who simply couldn't follow the bread crumbs.

When the film was released I read hundreds of posts by moviegoers who had no clue what was going on in the film. To be completely honest, it took me two viewings to really understand how certain plot points worked together. But the movie moves so quickly that even when the heroes remove their ski masks to show us, the audience, that they are the perpetrators of a drug heist, there were still many on the internet asking who was responsible for the drug heist.

There is no excuse for that, other than simple viewers who were not paying attention.

Again, this is a great film for people who will appreciate the clever, intelligent way director Michael Mann constructs the whole. This is not a great film for people looking for ticking alligators, goofy sidekicks, wacky informants and a Jan Hammer beat.

This is a movie for grownups. The rest need not bother.

This is an excellent movie and I recently purchased the Blu-Ray version of this software because I liked the movie so much. Previously I had purchased and watched the DVD version and I was expecting truly great video in the Blu-Ray version. Sadly, many of the night scenes in the Blu-Ray version are just too grainy. Buy the regular DVD version and save the extra bucks.

A child of the 80s, Miami Vice was THE show. Weeks prior to this release, before I even knew about the movie, I had just purchased season one on DVD and had been watching a Miami Vice marathon on some cable channel. So I was pretty geared up for the film, primarily because it was to be directed by Michael Mann, the original show's creator.

Saw it the opening weekend and was disappointed. Other than the names and the setting, it wasn't what I expected. And that was the problem. The television show this isn't. And that is the movie's strength. It is much more atmospheric, much darker and much more slick.

I'm not sure how someone who was unfamiliar with the show would feel about the character development. From the point of view of someone who knew the show, there is minimal character development in the movie. Granted, two hours isn't much time. But you get a lot of attitude, a lot of cool and a lot of action. Just don't expect too much depth.

But Mann's characteristic style, mood and imagery blazes off the screen. Dark, moody, fast paced, it's eye candy with a rocking score. From techno (Moby) to ambient metal (Mogwai), the music buoys the film almost perfectly.

Though not without its weaknesses, watch it for what it is - visual and aural delight. I'm glad I took a second look.

Instead of making a Miami Vice parody movie, or simply revisiting the television era with younger actors and a fresh plot, director Michael Mann takes the basics of Miami Vice and plants it firmly in 2006. Here Crockett and Tubbs are tough, no nonsense cops who's lives are on the line. Here the stakes are high, the villains are cunning, and the payoff is intense.

First things first, this is not an action film. It's not trying to be one. Instead it's a crime drama, delving into the worlds of cops (and a bit of the criminals) in the Miami area. Instead of creating a series of climaxes (as he did in "Heat") this movie is closer to "Collateral". It builds and builds with sparks flying here and there until the whole thing erupts in an excellent fire fight.

The script is tight, and moves a brisk pace. Viewers need to pay attention and have an ear for accents (there are several floating around during the movie and I found it helpful to have the close captions on). Direction is typical Michael Mann; everything has an elegant coolness to it. Miami looks awesome in many of the shots of the film. The movie is visually dark with lots of blue hues in it, giving it a definate visual style.

Sound effects were very good. I especially liked the gun battle at the end of the film. The weapons sounded realistic (not Hollywood). I also enjoyed the score and music used in the film (fans of the television will be disappointed in the lack of 80's nostalgia).

The only weak points were casting. Jamie Foxx and Naomie Harris were excellent and I found their relationship to be interesting and handled very well. On the flip side I found Colin Farrell adequate at best and bland at worst. He didn't seem to carry the part off as well as he could have. In addition Gong Li, a beautiful woman and superb actress, was lacking something. I'm not sure if her chemistry with Farrell was to blame, or if working in English was difficult, but she is great in certain scenes and in others she didn't click for me.

All told, I enjoyed the film. I wished it had been a bit better (and I think different casting would have solved my main problems), but as part of Michael Mann's delving into the world of crime and cops, this is a solid entry.

I won't comment on the film itself as there are plenty of very detailed reviews about the storylines, characters, settings, etc. here at Amazon.

However the HD mastering of the Blu-Ray version needs to be mentioned, and not positively.

Michael Mann shot much of this feature using the Viper HD video camera, particularly all of the night shots. Those shots don't stand up well on this disc in contrast to many of the day shots, including the fantastic aerial sequences. The night shots have lots of visible picture noise, as well as a lack of detail which spoils the HD experience noticeably. Maybe this is the nature of the Viper footage, maybe this was a rush job for the studio to put content into the (new) format pipeline to make more money without paying attention to the quality of the content. Regardless, unless you can pick this title up deeply discounted from list price, stick with the standard-def DVD until somebody takes some time to release this title on Blu-Ray properly. For such a gifted visualist as Michael Mann, this version of Miami Vice is not a good representation of what he is capable of. If you want to impress, try screening Public Enemies instead, at least until the studio fixes this one.