Miami Vice
Starring: Colin, Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Li Gong
Director: Michael Mann
Genre: Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller
Rated: Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content.
Duration: 2hr 15mins
Plot: When an informer, his family and two FBI agents are killed by an international gang of drug dealers, Detectives James ‘Sonny’ Crockett and Ricardo ‘Rico’ Tubbs are assigned to work undercover for the FBI in a joint operation to disclose which agency leaked the information to the criminals. They plot a scheme to approach with their team of agents to the manager José Yero and later to the druglord Arcángel de Jesús Montoya. Along the mission, Sonny meets the accountant, investor and mistress of Montoya, Isabella, and after a romantic affair, they fall in love for each other, blurring his professional commitment with his personal feelings.

My Review: Cops & Robbers movies simply don’t get any better for me than the work of Michael Mann. If you’re not familiar with his movies then you simply must go back and watch Heat and even The Last of the Mohicans. Not only does he powerful wrap his well built characters in a strong story but I think the musical score is what pushes these films over the top for me. Much like his other films, Miami Vice isn’t just a shoot ‘em up movie but also does a very good job incorporating a love story without making it mushy.

If you’re familiar with the Miami Vice TV series (executive produced by Mann) then don’t go into this movie expecting a continuation of that story. If you’ve never watched an episode of Miami Vice then you’ll be just fine. Miami Vice pulls only the character names, roles, and location from the original series and you won’t be seeing any cheesy Johnson cameos here either. Instead you’ll get a very exciting, action filled movie about two undercover vice detectives pursuing an international drug ring and risking both their own lives and the lives of those around them. Everything in the story feels very believable and engrossing as we follow our story’s heroes around North and South America. Something to note on these international journeys they take is that many of the gun toting cast members in the scenes were actual local gang members hired onto the production. Following an exchange of bullets one day by some of these locals star Jamie Foxx packed his bags and refused to return.

Speaking of our stars I was greatly impressed with everyone involved. There was not a single actor that I wished had been replaced and that says a lot for me considering I’m not usually the biggest fan of Farrell. Well, I probably could have done with out his silly mustache, but it was part of his character so I’ll let it slide. Farrell does a fantastic job in both his fiercest and most vulnerable moments juggling his duties and new love interest played by Gong Li. Foxx continues to show why he deserves this big roles and plays a perfect complement to Farrell and crew. While his character’s love story starts out more simple than Farrell’s it’s exciting to watch and wait for the resolve of this story thread.

I can’t sing enough praises for Miami Vice. Having enjoyed it in the theater I was anxious to watch it again on HD-DVD and was very impressed with the transfer quality. If you’ve already seen Michael Mann’s work then you know what you’re getting into here and he won’t let you down. If you’ve never seen any of his movies then it’s time to get started and Miami Vice is the perfect place to start.

My rating: 5/5 stars
High point: Michael Mann’s masterful directing
Low point: None for me

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