Miami Vice DVD Review

When the family of one of their informants is killed, Miami-Dade vice detectives Sonny Crockett (Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Foxx) and their team are drawn into a Federal investigation. Because FBI Agent Fujima (Hinds) case has fallen apart and all of their connections lost, Crockett and Tubbs are given the task of infiltrating the South American drug cartel to discover who leaked that the information about the FBI case. As they get deeper into the criminal organisation and Crocket gets closer to Isabella, the headman’s (Tosar) second in command, they realise that the organisation is bigger than the FBI ever imagined.

Adaptations of old television shows have become the stable of Hollywood creativity over the last few years but this new version of an old classic is different, this is ‘Miami Vice’.

When it was announced that acclaimed director Michael Mann was going to revisit the series he executive produced in the 1980s, fans of the hard hitting cop show rejoiced. This was one of the few TV shows of the era that could be adapted for a modern audience without making it into a parody of the original hit series. Since the series ended in 1989, Michael Mann has become one of the most respected and critically acclaimed directors working in cinema today. With commercial and critical hits like ‘Manhunter’, ‘Collateral’, ‘The Insider’, ‘Ali’ and ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, Mann took everything he learned from his time on Miami Vice to produce one of the best crime thrillers of the 90s, ‘Heat’.

Now he has come full circle and returned to the series that made his name, taking everything that he has learned over the years and applying it to the new version of ‘Miami Vice’. Gone are the neon lights, the pastel coloured suits and the alligator as a pet to be replaced by gritty realism. Still keeping the extravagance needed to keep up the drug dealing cover, Michael Mann takes the essence of what made the show so successful and brings it up to date for the new millennium audience.

Don’t expect huge visual effects sequences bombarding you throughout its running time. This is a film that slowly builds towards a gripping and explosive conclusion, concentrating on character and plot throughout. The violence only serves to advance the plot, a necessity to solve a problem or to save a life. It is never glorified or showcased as Michael Mann and his creative take you into the thick of the action. Don’t expect any slow motion or computer controlled panning shots around our heroes but instead he utilises the camera as a witness to the events, taking us into the case with Crockett and Tubbs allowing us to stand at their sides throughout. This increases the realism of the movie tenfold and means that the film pulls no punches at all.

Following in the footsteps of an already established, successful franchise with actors that are firm favourites in the roles was always going to be difficult but Michael Mann has chosen two real stars to replace Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as Crockett and Tubbs. Stepping into the role of James ‘Sonny’ Crockett is Colin Farrell who finally gets the chance to life up to this next big thing billing. After his breakout role in 2000 in ‘Tigerland’, the Irish actor has worked with some great directors such as Steven Spielberg (Minority Report), Terrance Malick (The New World) and Oliver Stone (Alexander) both none of these films or performances have gave him the chance to recapture the same energy that got him noticed in the first place but Michael Mann finally gives him the chance to show what he can do. Confident, slightly cocky, aggressive but fiercely loyal, Sonny Crockett is a more gritty version of the man made famous by Don Johnston but this adaptation is riddled with realism. The same can be said of Jamie Foxx’s performance as Ricardo Tubbs. The Oscar winning actor is no stranger to working with Michael Man having appeared in ‘Collateral’ and ‘Ali’ and the actor brings everything he has to role, proving again that he is one of the best actors of his generation.

As well as the two leading men, you have good supporting performances from an impressive ensemble. Asian superstar Gong Li continues to make inroads into Hollywood with another fine performance as Crockett’s love interest Isabella. John Ortiz and Luis Tosar play despicable villains that are very easy to hate. British actress Naomie Harris also continues to make a splash in Hollywood with another fine performance. There are also noticeable smaller roles filled by Ciarán Hinds as FBI Agent Fujima, Barry Shabaka Henley as Lt. Martin Castillo and Justin Theroux, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Domenick Lombardozzi as Crockett and Tubbs’ team.

‘Miami Vice’ is an example of how a television series should be adapted to the silver screen. Michael Mann has taken the essence show he oversaw in the 80s and made it relevant to a modern audience in the new millennium. This is gritty, no holds barred realism that many other action dramas struggle to recreate. Fans of the show could be slightly disappointed by this change of approach but this is a film that doesn’t really pander to the 80s series but make it as if it was how he’d approach the project now, if it were new. Hopefully this won’t be the last time we see Crockett and Tubbs.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Michael Mann For the North American (Region 1) version of ‘Miami Vice’ is a specially extended director’s version of the movie that includes six minutes of new footage. He outlines the differences between this version and the theatrical cut. The master director provides an excellent commentary track where he outlines the approach of the film, its look, plot structure and how it is different from the original TV show.

Miami Vice Undercover (13.03 mins) Director Michael Mann, former undercover agents Lorenzo Toledo and Alex Alonso, Miami-Dade Police Department officer Roy Rutland, DEA undercover agents Towanda and Robert Muzar and stars Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Naomie Harris talk about what it takes to be a real undercover police officer or federal agent. Here we discover what it takes to go undercover and how the cast and crew were trained to understand how to prepare for their roles and the world the characters inhabit.

Miami & Beyond: Shooting on Location (10.01 mins) Director Michael Mann, director of photography Dion Beebe, set decorator Jim Erickson, security advisor Jim Milford and stars Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Justin Theroux and Barry Shabaka Henley talk about shooting on real locations for Miami Vice. Here we visit Montevideo in Uruguay, Cicdad del Este in Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Miami, as the film tries to make the look and feel of the piece as authentic as possible.

Visualising Miami Vice (12.42 mins) Director of Photography Dion Beebe, stunt coordinator Artie Malesci, special effects coordinator Bruce Steinheimer, set decorator Jim Erickson and stars Colin Farrell and Justin Theroux talk about working with writer/director/producer Michael Mann, shooting in digital, aerial photography, the cars, the guns and the night clubs.

Behind the Scenes Featurettes (10.14 mins) Entitled ‘Gun Training’, ‘Haitian Hotel Camera Blocking’ and ‘Mojo Race’, watch B-Roll footage and training video as the cast and crew bring ‘Miami Vice’ to the silver screen.

OVERALL

With a new version of the movie, an excellent commentary and some great behind the scenes featurettes, this is a good DVD package for ‘Miami Vice’. The only thing missing is the original version of the film, which would have made this a triumph for the fans.