Miami Vice Reviews

This is completely misunderstood work of art from Michael Mann whose use of camera, lightning and music is outstanding here. Where many considires this as his most incoherent film, is in my opinion one of his most accomplished and richest works to date. Miami Vice perfectly sums all the themes that he has treated in his other films.
In many ways Miami Vice is a film about the thin line between good and bad, and a documentary like dive into the criminal underworld of Miami and Cuba. Most of all it is a heartbreaking story of a doomed love. Like many of his films before which have had strong themes of love as a destructive element, Miami Vice has that theme too. But this time Mann makes it the main storyline here. In films like Heat and Public Enemies, the romance between characters was more of a sideplot.
This is a great film not only in a terms of a storytelling but in terms of execution also. Along with photographer Dion Beebe Mann make his film look fantastic. Most of the time this film is like a greatest of paintings. Dark and stylish shots of Miami at the night time are full of menace and atmosphere. With the ice-cold shades of blue and the authentic HD-lensing, Mann makes Miami seem like a dreamy netherworld. It's like a mix of David Lynch's disturbing vision of Los Angeles and Mann's cool and gritty cityscapes. It's a city where industrial landscapes collides with the restless sea. Mann also perfectly capures the more exotic views of Cuba and makes it look like a lost paradise which also has a dangerous flipside in it.
In last two decades Michael Mann has made some of the most visually breathtaking films and gained a status as a one of the major directors in Hollywood. In my opinon he is a undisputed genius and one of the best auteurs that America or the whole world has ever seen. Miami Vice may not be perfect but it is muscular piece of entertainment and glorious to watch at.

Action: Realistic and engaging (except for the last gunfight where some fool shoots under a car... you'll see why). Plot: Absolutely horrible with one of the worst chemistries put into film (between Colin Farrell and some asian chick). It could've been great, but there were way too many problems with this highly stylized but lacking movie.

I might be one of the only people that thoroughly enjoy and respect Michael Mann's full length adaption of his t.v. series. I just think it has all the great things about cop dramas and all of the great techniques of Michael Mann. The digital video is ridiculously fitting for a movie about two Narcs in the middle of a gangster conflict. I guess you have to like the two stars of the movie, Colin Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, who carry their own fanbases and hate groups. For someone who's a fan of both, I thought it was an amazing team up and their chemistry was great together. This is clearly a movie that you have to want to watch and get into, not just something for casual viewing. This is extremely hard around the edges and has very little light-hearted moments. It's extremely gritty and a different kind of cop movie than we're used to seeing. I love how Miami Vice is serious about its goals and beautiful style. The plot is one of the more fine tuned and seems like it could possibly happen in a real-life scenario. Crockett and Tubbs got rid of their nutball clothes and were turned into some truly hard as nails cops.

Director Michael Mann does a retread and modern film version of his highly successful 1980's television series and despite the calibre of Mann, this turns out to be just like all the other poor makeovers of hit t.v shows.
Detectives Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) work undercover investigating narcotics-smuggling in Florida. But when Crockett falls for the beautiful wife (Gong Li) of a powerful arms and drugs trafficker, and Tubbs' loved ones come under threat, their personal and professional lives start to mesh together.
Much like "Heat" and "The Insider", with similiar wonderful cinematography (complete with intense close-ups and methodical pace), giving the impression that we're involved in the action. Problem is though, the action is not exciting enough. It's too slow. Far too slow. This had real potential and from the beginning it looks like we're going to be treated to another classic like the previous films mentioned but the normally reliable Michael Mann (especially in this genre) delivers a damp squib. Foxx and Farrell make a great Tubbs and Crocket, full of style and intensity but they're left to basically wander around for over two hours, looking mean, tanned and brooding. The editing and camerawork are excellent in capturing the urban landscape of Miami but it's not enough. It is without doubt, all style and no substance. All buck and no bang and definitely no bark OR bite. It took me three attempts to get through it, without falling asleep and that's just not what you expect with the style and excitement of a usually on-form Michael Mann.
A massive let down. Mann can do much better than this, with the most impressive thing about it being how Farrell managed to get away with successfully sporting a mullet and handlebar 'tashe. Not an easy combination and more impressive than the film itself.

While this is called 'Miami Vice' and has the same names as the characters from the TV show, thats where the similarities end. This is a no nonsense undercover cop thriller. There are no 'buddy cops', wisecracks, car chases, or O.T.T action, so the casual movie goer is going to be a little bemused by what they are seeing. But fans of Michael Mann's work will be in seventh heaven, because this has all the director's trademarks.

There's some stunning camera-work (A lot of it digital), and some beautifully rendered sequences in this and some explosive action (But don't go expecting 'Lethal weapon' style action.) The trailer park stand off with the white supremacists was my favourite scene and an abject lesson in how to put suspense on screen.

Performances are all very good, right down to the smaller parts and the plot demands attention. I found the films running time flew by. Its so refreshing to see a cop thriller for adults, with no silliness and one that doesn't insult the audiences intelligence.

Best film so far this year.

The problems with Miami Vice are many. It starts off well with quite a dramatic scene while the audience are still in awe of the beautiful visuals, digital hand-held was definitely the best design you think but then it all falls apart. The story is complicated and then ridiculous, the script and acting are unintentionally hilarious and the characters are so 2 dimensional it should have been a cartoon. The visuals, arguably the best thing about the film, soon get distracting though, with all the real life cop shows around it soon becomes forgettable and you kinda wish Mann had just gone 100% camp with the project instead of just making Colin Farrell look like a big girl. I guess you can polish a turd!

OMG, this movie is so unbelievably corny. It should go down in the hall of fame of movies that are so bad that you've just got to see them.

Asians are not Hispanics, is that too hard to grasp man Mann? Expectations were high, not even close to being met.

What happened!?! How could a director of one of the coolest shows on TV miss the boat so badly directing a big screen version? I was a fan of the show, and this doesn't even BEGIN to do it justice.

Mann apparently completely blacked out his entire memory of what made Miami Vice so special. Yeah, this film had all the elements -- handsome cops, scary drug dealers, Miami scenery, cool musical score -- but SOMETHING was definitely missing. With the show, you could almost FEEL the heat of the Florida sun in the day and the balmy breezes at night. You could almost smell the salty air and the sweat of the citzens. Didn't get that at all here.

Maybe it was the casting. Jamie Foxx did an OK job with the Tubbs role, but Colin Farrell just didn't work for me as Crockett. Don Johnson at least brought a bit of good old boy humor to the role. Farrell was deadly serious throughout, almost constipative. I was over an hour into the film before he even smiled the first time.

And lord help us -- what the hell was that mustache all about? I guess they were trying to give Sonny some type of style, like Johnson had with the pastel clothes. But please. He must have stolen that thing from the set of either a 70's porn flick or a 60's spaghetti western. That greasy biker hairstyle didn't help either.

And the storyline...holy moses. I could drag a locomotive with a rope faster than this thing moved along. I think they took an hour-long episode (most of them weren't all that complicated to begin with) and just padded it to fill 2+ hours of screen time.

To be honest I didn't even finish watching the thing. It was so slow, I fell asleep halfway through. But somehow I don't think I missed anything that I'll be kicking myself for later.

A dark, stylish, gripping and adreniline-pumping action-packed edge of your seat thriller. It's a heart-pounding thrill-ride that kicks serious ass and hits harder than most crime drama's in it's field. Dirdctor, Michael Mann crafts a solid, compelling and razor-sharp film. Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx are teriffic.

This movie is soooo very much alike afew others made during the time, Training Day, Harsh Times, Collateral and the recent Street Kings. The same meaning, looks, action sequences, style and cast. Vice looks truely cool, ice cool, the cast and costumes are so so very slick and stylish. The look of the film is pure Mann in style and the way its filmed, which makes it very similar to 'Collateral', unfortunatley thats about it.

The whole film is very boring with lots of dialog which means nothing much hehe the guys simple swan around in shiny cars and flash outfits being cool, kinda like an aftershave ad. The final gun battle is brilliant though, it just about saves the film. Its loud, realistic and brutal and is the best Ive seen in awhile.

Watch it for that.

All that is left of the original 80s show is the name, place and character names. You neither get to see much of the city nor the sun in this film, that feels like Michael Mann took his "Collateral" setting straight to Miami, with a very similar look and filming technique. The story of Sonny and Rico going undercover starts somewhat slow and could have used a few more action sequences. But the film does get better with every minute, as the story unfolds and things get more and more complicated. Foxx and Farrell are actually great choices for their characters. The second half is Michael Mann at its best: Dark, gritty, realistic shootouts and grim characters in a world of crime and murder. Especially the trailer park hostage rescue sequence is brilliant, as well the final moments of the movie, also thanks to a great soundtrack by the likes of Audioslave and Mogwai, whose fantastic instrumentals should be used in many more films. Not quite en par with the masterpieces "Heat" and "Collateral" but still pretty cool and a lot better than expected.

Disappointing really, was hoping for something along the lines of Heat. Not a great deal of action, quite serious in tone and didn't seem to tie up all the loose ends. Bad Boys 2 seems very similar but with better action and a few laughs to.

I lasted half an hour and I think that was stretching it, it's not often I can't see a film through, especially considering it starred Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, who have proved to be much better actors than this film allowed, I was extremely dissapointed.

I've never watched the tv series that the film was based on and so, of course I have no comparrisons to make.

What this film seriously lacks in a coherent and discernable plot and charcter development, it more than makes up for it with tons of style, great cinematography, and well-placed tension. The gunplay (what little there is), is done well, and even though the film is more style than substance, and could stand to be trimmed up greatly, it's a thinking man's drama/thriller, and not a blockbuster action film, and that's why the overall reception for this film is so mixed. It didn't mean people's expeectations, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Not a particular gripping storyline, but the action and coolness make up for it. Basically "Bad Boys" without the humor.

I'll begin by saying that I've seen the original TV show, and it sucked. It was a glossy, superficial and brainless excuse to show expensive sports cars, speedboats and girls in bikinis to an MTV style soundtrack. In this tradition this film succeeds greatly; the plot is unbelievably cliched and the soundtrack is annoyingly conspicuous, but the visuals are very slick and it does entertain in a mindless popcorn kind of way. I think the main problem with this film is that it was directed by Michael Mann, and as such the expectation was for something with the subtlety and depth of Heat, but in retrospect I don't think that was ever the intention. As a result, I will give it the benefit of the doubt and say it is a somewhat disappointing but otherwise slick and efficient no-brainer.

When I was in the theatre, I desperatly tried to tell myself that it was not that bad... And it's not ! It's just really disappointing

One of the best films of 2006 that didn't get the chance in deserved. Miami Vice 2006 is not the original series, but it does have the heart of it. The basic characters, the stunning visuals, the music.

Yes, you get dropped in the middle of the story without a lot of set up. We know these characters. We don't need the back-story or an explanation of their relationship. Sonny and Rico can work together with little talk because that is what happens with real partners in stressful jobs. You know what to expect, how your partner will act and react without laying it out before hand. When Sonny gets in deep with Isabelle, Ricardo pulls a simple gut check and moves on. These two guys are on the same page. The team has briefings before the action, we just don't see all of it. I would like to see more of the other members of the team, but a movie can only be so long. This movie is about being deep undercover; your team is there to back you up in the big plays, but for most of the prep work you are on your own. The dialogue is strong and a bit minimalistic...not wasted on explaining the details to the audience, you either get or you don't.

I found the acting and emotional interaction of the characters stunning. These are people who have to play it close to the vest, not wear their hearts on their sleeves. If you've never had someone express their thoughts and emotions in just a look, then I feel sorry for you. Colin and Jamie do this amazingly well. In fact, I can't imagine any other actors today playing Sonny and Rico. It was understated, subtle, and yet very intense. The love stories involved were more real than anything else I've seen lately. Rico and Trudy both understand the work they do and how it can effect their relationship, they both get it. Someone outside their world could not relate, and a relationship would be less complete than it is with each other. For Sonny and Isabelle, it starts out as part of the game, and becomes more real than either of them expected. They try to pretend it's casual, but right or wrong, it is real. That their lives pull them away from each other, adds a level of raw pain you can feel. For Sonny, it's about being true to who he is and what he believes in, even if it means sacrificing true love.

The action was also stunning and yet not over the top. Graphic without being drawn out. As for dark and confusing...for others who listed this as a negative, they obviously have no concept of the reality of these situations. Dark and confusing is exactly what they are. The team is operating on experience and training and pure gut. Chaos is the norm in a shootout.This is a movie where the violence serves a purpose. Criminals use violence to gain the upper hand when needed, but too much would effect their bottom line. The cops use violence when forced to, to protect themselves and others, or to establish their cover, and though it is a last resort they do not flinch from it.

The look of this movie is even darker and more sweeping than the TV show and I would expect nothing less. The world is more global than it was in the 80's, and moving some of the action out of Miami makes sense today. I found both the gritty slums and the vast natural vistas equally stunning and an integral part of delivering the mood of the location and action.

Miami Vice brought to TV a new emphasis on using the music of the time to add a layer of emotion to the action on screen. While, I didn't find as many recognizable tracks as I thought I would, the songs used fit perfectly, further developing the mood of the scene.

This is a movie for adults. I don't mean just age. I mean attitude, sophistication, and most importantly, an appreciation for more than snappy dialogue that leaves nothing a mystery and gratuitous violence where stuff is blown up just because it's there.

Directed by: Michael Mann.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Li Gong.

First off, I'd like to give props to Michael Mann once again, for making a very gritty, stylish and realistic LOOKING film, which he never ever fails to deliver there and usually in his films, he matches that style with great characters, action, thrills, excitement and plot....everything I just said is nowhere to be seen in this film.

By the first 15 minutes, I was bored, everything just seemed very mono, Jaime Foxx and Colin Farrell don't fit into the characters very well at all (then again, they are basically just hollow bodies in this film, no layers or development), pretty much just standing there, using there phones as if they are being controlled by a remote and looking staunch, trying to act "cool". The excitement, thrills and action that could save a film with no characters or plot is not here, everything just stays on one level throughout the whole film and everyone who speaks, all the explosions, the music are just dull.

Not recommended at all and highly disappointed in Michael Mann, but I give him credit for still holding his style.