Verdict
Summary
From writer / director Michael Mann, the cinematic reboot of Miami Vice more than encapsulates the cool and high tech style of the TV series that Mann helped bring to the screen in the 1980’s, but brings an edgier and more “R”-rated vibe that should still connect with today’s audiences.
Plot:
Two vice detectives go deep undercover in the murky drug trade that finds them on the razor’s edge of life and death.
Review:
Miami’s best vice detectives – Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) – are in the middle of a human trafficking sting when they quickly shift gears to a much bigger score when one of the informants leaves them with a choice bit of intel that there’s a massive amount of drugs coming through Miami, but they need immediate approval to go deep undercover in order to infiltrate the organization. They get the go-ahead and soon they’re sitting in front of the guy they think is the kingpin (played by John Ortiz) who immediately doesn’t like or trust them to handle their drug shipment, but after getting the green light from his boss, the true kingpin (played by Luis Tosar), Crockett and Tubbs and their team (played by Naomi Harris, Justin Theroux, Elizabeth Rodriguez, and Domenick Lombardozzi) are coordinating and executing elaborate drug deals for the drug lord in order to get deeper into the organization. As they dive deeper, the danger becomes more palpable and electric, and before he knows it, Crockett begins a passionate affair with the drug lord’s right hand woman and lover Isabella (Gong Li), which might compromise both of their positions in the organization. When one of their team is severely wounded, Tubbs and Corckett meticulously navigate their way through red tape to get revenge, but also to deliver what they promised: to bring down the drug trade coming into Miami.
From writer / director Michael Mann, the cinematic reboot of Miami Vice more than encapsulates the cool and high tech style of the TV series that Mann helped bring to the screen in the 1980’s, but brings an edgier and more “R”-rated vibe that should still connect with today’s audiences. It’s a shame this flopped in its theatrical release, because I would’ve loved to spend a few more hours with these characters on another adventure. It’s never overstated or overblown; when the action and violence happens, it’s kinetic and sudden, but you can feel it coming. Mann’s inimitable style, complete with his just-developing reliance on digital photography, is on full display here, and just as in all of Mann’s films the score and songs on the soundtrack are all carefully selected for optimum effect. This is a very solid cop thriller for a genre that feels tailor made for Mann’s sensibilities. Farrell and Fox make a great pair and perfectly embody these two iconic characters.
Mill Creek brings Miami Vice to Blu-ray in a sweet and slick looking steelbook edition. The quality of this release is stellar, and comes with both the unrated and theatrical cuts, plus all the features previously included on the Blu-ray from Universal.
