Miami Vice (2006) August 17, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Cinema, Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Michael Mann
Michael Mann’s update of the classic TV show Miami Vice is certainly not for everybody – especially those who are looking for a nostalgia trip. It’s an update in the truest sense, bringing with it gritty realism, a Foxx & Farrell combo, and a modern day fashion sense. So swap that pastel shirt for a shotgun because we’re going dark. Really dark.
Detectives Sonny Crockett (Farrell) and Richardo Tubbs (Foxx) find themselves working undercover as drug smugglers for a large trafficking network in South Florida. Assigned to find a leak in one of the government divisions they quickly discover that they are working for a much bigger international player, and choose to stay under longer than planned. But things go wrong, and they find themselves the target of both the traffickers, and a gang of Arian dealers.
The plot is surprisingly complex in parts, but that’s made worse by the fact that it can be difficult to keep up with exactly what is going on at times. It’s not impossible, but I doubt that a single viewing with leave you with all the answers. Michael Mann picks up where he left off on Collateral, mixing film and HD handheld video shots to create 
that ‘in the action’ feeling, while shooting in some very low light levels. It doesn’t always work, but at least it gives the movie a stylistic difference that lifts it up over something like SWAT. Also, similar to Collateral, when things turn violent they get brutally violent. Even in today’s cinema where violence is commonplace, there are some sequences that may make you wince.
Jamie Foxx & Colin Farrell do there jobs adequately, looking cool & acting cool is pretty much all the duo are required to do. They’re a bit of a let down in the chemistry department though. Meanwhile the script is neither flourishing nor a total waste, but it’s possibly a bit long at 134 minutes. Overall I have to give this flick credit for daring to be a stylistically different summer blockbuster, which chooses not to go all-out on the action front at every opportunity. These things I can mostly boil down to Mann’s involvement, and while it’s not his best piece of work, it’s certainly not as bad as some of the critics would have you believe.
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