Miami Vice
Perhaps you have been awaiting my review on “Miami Vice”. All the critics seem to be throwing the film in the trash faster than Chevy Chase’s talk show was cancelled. So here comes a patented Hungry Hank Rant, right?
Sorry, folks. I’m going to go 180 degrees, not only from the critics and probably your own expectations, but my own.
When I first heard that Michael Mann was making the iconic 80s show into a feature film, I was skeptical to put it mildly. Casting Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx into the sock-less shoes of Crockett and Tubbs led me further into disbelief the film could pull it off.
Then I saw the trailer. And I still thought it wouldn’t work.
Then I heard the reviews and how much tinkering Mann was doing to re-cut the film because of the reviews and screening audience reactions.
And then I knew the film would blow more goats than Al Qaeda.
All of that and I’m going to spend a few paragraphs here extolling the virtues of “Miami Vice” and make the case that it’s one of the better films in its genre.
The first thing one must do is toss aside any attachment to the television show. This film has NOTHING to do with it. I’m as annoyed as everyone else. There’s zero point in calling the film “Miami Vice”. Rather, Mann should have realized how off-topic things had become and re-titled it “Two Badass Undercover Cops Get It Done”.
Shedding the expectation in the name, one can just sit and enjoy the film for what it is.
Mann was experimenting with this film, trying out some new visual styles and techniques and while the film is long (134 minutes or so), I think making any major cuts would have reduced the epic scope Mann was trying to accomplish.
I liked that the film doesn’t sit the audience down like a child and explain everything that is happening. The film starts in the middle of an undercover operation and just sprawls out from there in an organic fashion.
I wasn’t able to catch all of the dialogue but having an IQ somewhere above 80, I figured things out just fine. Moreover, I’m of the opinion that it’s okay to assume your audience is smart enough to follow along.
Why studios and filmmakers have to hammer plot points and character quirks into audiences is just one of many points I’d like to fix if I had my way in Tinseltown.
Back to “Miami Vice”, Mann used a lot of grand, sweeping camera shots that were some of the most beautiful I’ve seen this year. When he wasn’t showing off nature’s splendor, Mann mainly relied on handheld camera-work to present the action and a lot of the film was shot with a grainier look. This resulted in almost the entire film feeling like we were using surveillance footage to watch Crockett and Tubbs crack skulls.
This might be disorientating for some but I really liked being more involved with the film by way of the camera work. At its running time and because the film is not necessarily dialogue heavy, this technique helped to keep me engaged in the action.
Speaking of action, I will admit that there isn’t a scene in “Miami Vice” that quite lives up to the downtown shootout in “Heat”. However, Mann isn’t pulling many punches with the action and some of the beginning scenes are brutal enough to make even me sit up and pay attention.
How many films actually utilize high-caliber weapons to literally blow someone’s body apart? Sure there's "The Jackal" and "Robocop" but that's not enough, I say!
The final big battle is a fairly generic stand off but has the trademark amazing gunfire sound effects that were used in the aforementioned “Heat” sequence. This is going to be another DVD that people will use to show off their surround sound.
To spice up the film and shift gears, Mann used what seemed to be an inordinate amount of sex scenes. None of them are necessarily graphic (pervert), but were more sensual in nature. At first, I was a bit put off by them. In thinking more about it after the film, I see that he was using them to create a balance between life and death.
Most of the film revolves around bad people doing bad things. The physical connections Crockett and Tubbs make throughout the film with their respective partners serve to ground them, remind them that the world isn’t all blood and bullets.
Okay, a little deep there. Still, that’s the kind of thinking I’m left with after seeing this film.
I am a big fan of Mann’s work and this is no exception. There are many parallels between this film and some of his other work, most notably “Heat” and “Collateral”. Those are fair associations. However, while “Heat” is a more complete and epic story, I think “Miami Vice” out styles both it and “Collateral”.
I really can’t say enough about Mann’s visual touches in “Miami Vice”. They elevated the film from being just another shoot ‘em up.
Farrell and Foxx were convincing as undercover cops and carried themselves with the poise and style one would expect.
I enjoyed the soundtrack and score to the film, which is no surprise given Mann’s track record in that regard. Most surprising is that the Jay-Z/Linkin Park song that dominated the trailer and opens the film isn’t on the soundtrack, nor are the multiple Chris Cornell songs that play mostly during some of the love scenes. If those were on the disc, I might have picked it up.
Oh well, more money left in my wallet. And for the record, Jan Hammer was approached to update the classic theme but he declined. Another omen that could go either way.
So, the long and short of it is that if you can’t separate the television show from the film, you’re not going to like “Miami Vice”. If you didn’t like “Heat” or at least appreciate the non-Tom Cruise aspects of “Collateral”, then you won’t like “Miami Vice”.
However, if you can put down the preconceptions involved in yet another TV to Film transition and like gritty action-dramas, “Miami Vice” is for you. This is one of the better Hollywood films to come out this summer and I’ll be picking up the DVD when it comes out probably by the end of the year.
“Miami Vice” gets a 4 out of 5 from me. I know I’ll probably continue to be in the minority about how good I think this film is and that’s okay. If I went with the flow all the time, I’d wonder what was wrong with me.
Sorry, folks. I’m going to go 180 degrees, not only from the critics and probably your own expectations, but my own.
When I first heard that Michael Mann was making the iconic 80s show into a feature film, I was skeptical to put it mildly. Casting Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx into the sock-less shoes of Crockett and Tubbs led me further into disbelief the film could pull it off.
Then I saw the trailer. And I still thought it wouldn’t work.
Then I heard the reviews and how much tinkering Mann was doing to re-cut the film because of the reviews and screening audience reactions.
And then I knew the film would blow more goats than Al Qaeda.
All of that and I’m going to spend a few paragraphs here extolling the virtues of “Miami Vice” and make the case that it’s one of the better films in its genre.
The first thing one must do is toss aside any attachment to the television show. This film has NOTHING to do with it. I’m as annoyed as everyone else. There’s zero point in calling the film “Miami Vice”. Rather, Mann should have realized how off-topic things had become and re-titled it “Two Badass Undercover Cops Get It Done”.
Shedding the expectation in the name, one can just sit and enjoy the film for what it is.
Mann was experimenting with this film, trying out some new visual styles and techniques and while the film is long (134 minutes or so), I think making any major cuts would have reduced the epic scope Mann was trying to accomplish.
I liked that the film doesn’t sit the audience down like a child and explain everything that is happening. The film starts in the middle of an undercover operation and just sprawls out from there in an organic fashion.
I wasn’t able to catch all of the dialogue but having an IQ somewhere above 80, I figured things out just fine. Moreover, I’m of the opinion that it’s okay to assume your audience is smart enough to follow along.
Why studios and filmmakers have to hammer plot points and character quirks into audiences is just one of many points I’d like to fix if I had my way in Tinseltown.
Back to “Miami Vice”, Mann used a lot of grand, sweeping camera shots that were some of the most beautiful I’ve seen this year. When he wasn’t showing off nature’s splendor, Mann mainly relied on handheld camera-work to present the action and a lot of the film was shot with a grainier look. This resulted in almost the entire film feeling like we were using surveillance footage to watch Crockett and Tubbs crack skulls.
This might be disorientating for some but I really liked being more involved with the film by way of the camera work. At its running time and because the film is not necessarily dialogue heavy, this technique helped to keep me engaged in the action.
Speaking of action, I will admit that there isn’t a scene in “Miami Vice” that quite lives up to the downtown shootout in “Heat”. However, Mann isn’t pulling many punches with the action and some of the beginning scenes are brutal enough to make even me sit up and pay attention.
How many films actually utilize high-caliber weapons to literally blow someone’s body apart? Sure there's "The Jackal" and "Robocop" but that's not enough, I say!
The final big battle is a fairly generic stand off but has the trademark amazing gunfire sound effects that were used in the aforementioned “Heat” sequence. This is going to be another DVD that people will use to show off their surround sound.
To spice up the film and shift gears, Mann used what seemed to be an inordinate amount of sex scenes. None of them are necessarily graphic (pervert), but were more sensual in nature. At first, I was a bit put off by them. In thinking more about it after the film, I see that he was using them to create a balance between life and death.
Most of the film revolves around bad people doing bad things. The physical connections Crockett and Tubbs make throughout the film with their respective partners serve to ground them, remind them that the world isn’t all blood and bullets.
Okay, a little deep there. Still, that’s the kind of thinking I’m left with after seeing this film.
I am a big fan of Mann’s work and this is no exception. There are many parallels between this film and some of his other work, most notably “Heat” and “Collateral”. Those are fair associations. However, while “Heat” is a more complete and epic story, I think “Miami Vice” out styles both it and “Collateral”.
I really can’t say enough about Mann’s visual touches in “Miami Vice”. They elevated the film from being just another shoot ‘em up.
Farrell and Foxx were convincing as undercover cops and carried themselves with the poise and style one would expect.
I enjoyed the soundtrack and score to the film, which is no surprise given Mann’s track record in that regard. Most surprising is that the Jay-Z/Linkin Park song that dominated the trailer and opens the film isn’t on the soundtrack, nor are the multiple Chris Cornell songs that play mostly during some of the love scenes. If those were on the disc, I might have picked it up.
Oh well, more money left in my wallet. And for the record, Jan Hammer was approached to update the classic theme but he declined. Another omen that could go either way.
So, the long and short of it is that if you can’t separate the television show from the film, you’re not going to like “Miami Vice”. If you didn’t like “Heat” or at least appreciate the non-Tom Cruise aspects of “Collateral”, then you won’t like “Miami Vice”.
However, if you can put down the preconceptions involved in yet another TV to Film transition and like gritty action-dramas, “Miami Vice” is for you. This is one of the better Hollywood films to come out this summer and I’ll be picking up the DVD when it comes out probably by the end of the year.
“Miami Vice” gets a 4 out of 5 from me. I know I’ll probably continue to be in the minority about how good I think this film is and that’s okay. If I went with the flow all the time, I’d wonder what was wrong with me.
posted by Upgrayedd at 8/10/2006 10:19:00 PM
4 Comments:
I just saw this last night as well. I sent you my review this morning, not having checked your website. It shows that despite the fact that we are separated by a thousand miles, we still share the same hive mind. I thought it was good as well, and din't even realize how long it was until I got home and had to go right to sleep. It is definitely worth checking out in the theatres.
When I find time, I'm going to publish your review as well because it's eerie how similar they are.
We commented on just about everything and your line about Gong Li's inability to speak English was in one of my drafts but I wanted to cut to the chase with the review since it's already fairly long for what I normally write.
Well, Really All I did was make a comment then mention JAN HAMMER alot. For those who are curious, here it is, copired & Pasted out of my original email:
If you haven't seen Miami Vice yet, it was probably never a priority for you to see it in theatres.
It should be.
First of all, the only thing it has in common with the 80's TV show of the same name is the Title, and the fact that the main characters are named Crockett and Tubbs. That's pretty much it. The clothes are darker, the cars are cooler, and the stakes are higher. There is also no Elvis the crocodile, and not even JAN HAMMER's theme song is evident anywhere.
Although I often find it hard to take Colin Farrell seriously, he does a respectable job in this film. I guess since his character is basically a cop that is good at getting girls in bed was a good choice for him. This is because he is basically an actor who is good at getting girls in bed. So he didn't have to work very hard. Not like JAN HAMMER!
Jamie Foxx is not Ray Charles in thsi one, but instead makes Tubbs into a total badass. The friendship between Crockett & Tubbs is believable. Like the friendship between me and JAN HAMMER!
Gong Li quickly becomes Crockett's love interest. Her English, while better than my asian, usually sounds like she is trying to talk with something in her mouth. Which whenever she is with Colin Farrell she is probably doing. Him or JAN HAMMER!
And let it be known that Michael Mann is great at filming nature, and great at capturing shootouts (see HEAT). In fact, some of the most understated moments in the movie are transitional shots that set the mood for the upcoming scenes. In addition, the gun battle, while not as dramatic as HEAT, is still pretty fierce. There are a number of gruesome kill shots in the movie, as well as a plethora of love scenes. Oddly enough, both are set to a number of Audioslave/Chris Cornell Soundtracking. I guess Mann liked what 'Shadow on the Sun' did for 'Collateral.' I guess he did not like JAN HAMMER!
I guess the movie was pretty long, like 2.5 hrs. But you don't really notice it. Sometimes the plot gets confusing, but I think that is because Mann SHOWS you what is happening instead of telling you. As a viewer, you have to do inferring, which I don't mind. I thin JAN HAMMER! might.
I really got more than I expected to out of this film. It was up to date, gritty, cops and robbers tale told with an awesome visual flare. I didn't mind using a movie pass on it, so I'll give it 3 mojtos out of 5. So would JAN HAMMER!
Dammit. Now I have to go see this at the cheap theatre.
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