When my husband told me that our next rental film was Miami Vice (2006) I admit that I did giggle - images of the 80s television series kept flashing into my head and really hoped there might be a few baggy suits with t-shirts and slip-ons without socks in view. But alas despite the suits and ... Read review
Bearing absolutely no resemblance to the 1980s TV series that helped to propel Michael ... more
Mann into big-time filmmaking,Miami Viceis the kind of serious, and seriously stylish, crime drama that Mann does better than anyone else. As written by Mann himself...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ricardo Tubbs (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx - Ray, Jarhead) and Sonny Crockett (Colin ... more
Farrell - SWAT, The New World) are both working undercover in the heat of Florida, penetrating the dark, dollar-fuelled abyss of the drugs world.But as the tempera...
Bearing absolutely no resemblance to the 1980s TV series that helped to propel Michael ... more
Mann into big-time filmmaking,Miami Viceis the kind of serious, and seriously stylish, crime drama that Mann does better than anyone else. As written by Mann himself...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Original One Sheet; Rolled Poster; Poster Condition: New; Size: 27 x 40 inches approx. All ... more
our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Li Gong, Luis Tosar, Naomie Harris, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Original UK Mini Quad; Rolled Poster; Poster Condition: New; Size: 16 x 12 inches approx. ... more
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Li Gong, Luis Tosar, Naomie Harris, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
Postage & Packaging:£2.50 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ricardo Tubbs (Academy Award-winner, Jamie Foxx, Ray, Jarhead) and Sonny Crockett (Colin ... more
Farrell, S.W.A.T., The New World) are both working undercover in the heat of Florida, penetrating the dark, dollar-fuelled abyss of the drugs world.But as the temperature soars in Miami, Sonny gets romantically involved with Isabella (Gong Li, Memoirs of a Geisha) the wife of an arms and guns trafficker. Crockett and Tubbs are gradually pushed to the edge, and suddenly, the distinction between cops and player becomes dangerously blurred.Written and directed by Michael Mann, Miami Vice will take you on a fast-paced, action-packed and hard-hitting journey in the world of gun and narcotrafficking where badges don't make a difference.
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Action/Adventure - Director: The Wachowski Brothers - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Jada Pinkett
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Advantages: Good soundtrack and slick directing Disadvantages: Poor characterisation and no chemistry
...our next rental film was Miami Vice (2006) I admit that I did giggle - images of the 80s television series kept flashing into my head and really hoped there might be a few baggy suits with t-shirts and slip-ons without socks in view. But alas despite the suits and t-shirts it had been brought up to date (which I knew they would really) except I couldn't quite get over Colin Farrell looking like Steve Coogan's Tony Ferrino! And the fact that this ... ...role of Ricardo Tubbs in Miami Vice. Could he replace the image of Philip Michael Thomas and could Colin Farrell really replace Don Johnson? And would we really need them to replace the image? Well the answer is no to all of these but in as much as it doesn't matter if two actors can replace the preconceived ideas of the viewer they do need, especially in this cop film genre, to have a chemistry as a partnership - Thomas and Johnson made the partnership ... more
When my husband told me that our next rental film was Miami Vice (2006) I admit that I did giggle - images of the 80s television series kept flashing into my head and really hoped there might be a few baggy suits with t-shirts and slip-ons without socks in view. But alas despite the suits and t-shirts it had been brought up to date (which I knew they would really) except I couldn't quite get over Colin Farrell looking like Steve Coogan's Tony Ferrino! And the fact that this film was directed by Michael Mann, whose films such as Heat and Collateral I really quite like, meant that I actually held out hope that this would be quite a good film. Was I right? I have to say the jury is out on this one.
The trouble with a film based on a person or an adaptation of a well loved television series is that the viewer has a preconception of the character being portrayed and if the actor playing them doesn't quite fit with that perception then the film has to be really good to break down those preconceptions. And Mann has successfully done this before in Ali with Will "Men in Black/FreshPrince" Smith and in Collateral with Tom "Top Gun and the notable scientologist" Cruise as a hitman. And someone else who ties all of these films together is Jamie Foxx who starred notably in both of these films and was taking the lead role of Ricardo Tubbs in Miami Vice. Could he replace the image of Philip Michael Thomas and could Colin Farrell really replace Don Johnson? And would we really need them to replace the image? Well the answer is no to all of these but in as much as it doesn't matter if two actors can replace the preconceived ideas of the viewer they do need, especially in this cop film genre, to have a chemistry as a partnership - Thomas and Johnson made the partnership between Crockett and Tubbs, and even the likes of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon series show what a successful partnership is. Foxx and Farrell - the only thing that makes them close is their surnames both begin with F.
And then add onto that the whole appeal of the TV series was the various scenarios they found themselves in every week, the fact that Tubbs lived on a boat guarded by an alligator/crocodile and Crockett wore shiny suits and that all the action was crammed into a short episode or two. You had to wonder how that would transfer into a longer period of time and all the things that made the series worth watching were lost in this film. OK so Tubbs is still the hard man and Crockett is still the charmer (of sorts) but as that is almost expected it doesn't hold any real interest and the fact that there is no chemistry between Foxx and Farrell just makes the potential appeal of the film seep away. You get no sense of the level of seediness of Miami which the TV series did. Yes there is a pimp shoehorned in and a few club scenes but that just seemed like a trendy place to be. Everything in the film is just cold and calculated - there's no feeling of reliance on their partner or any sense of being buddies as well as colleagues and that is one of the main things that build tension in a drama. They care for their partner and so we care for them too. In this you don't really care about them as characters and so what you are watching is a series of events which you can't really engage in. In fact not only do you not really care about them but actually you don't really like them - Tubbs is ok just far too efficient but Crockett not only suffers from the efficiency but is far too cold and emotionless in all his dealings.
What you end up watching most of the time is people on the phone or having a meeting. There is very little real action and there is no sense of jeopardy which considering the dangerous reputations of the crime lords they are supposedly dealing with, is a real shame for a cop thriller. You're supposed to wonder where the twists are but all you end up wondering is should I care about this. And all the talking just lends to the lack of chemistry not just between the two leads but also with the other characters. There are sex scenes in this film which would have been warmer in a fridge. As I said before you can't relate to any of the characters and so all you have to cling to is the cool cars, clothes, houses and quite slick (when they happen) shootouts. But even they are too clinical and really too few. And you're not sure if you are enjoying them because no one is talking on the phone! They're not that original - you've seen it all before and the standoff before the shooting begins is just "I'm a badass, you're a badass and we'll stand here posturing until someone - who suddenly appears to be leading this operation - decides it's safe to shoot". Nothing goes wrong (you just feel that they didn't read the manual on how to make a good cop/buddy thriller), and even when there is a situation of potential upset, you just feel "oh well they'll be ok" and so again there is no jeopardy - you have to ask where is the point you are supposed to care? It's just all a bit too weak and no amount of flashy cars, boats and technology can strengthen it.
As I've mentioned there is no connection between the two main characters and all the supporting actors leave you feeling cold as well. Gong Li, probably best known as the calculating Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha, actually does quite a good job as the business like femme fatale with a bit more of a heart than perhaps she should have. But her rapport with Farrell is less than convincing as it is with Luis Tosar, the overall baddie of the piece and her boyfriend/business partner, Montoya. In fact as a character Montoya is extremely unsatisfactory - you have no real idea of how dangerous he could be apart from him giving a little speech and turns out to be a little too trusting for someone who probably got to where he was by not trusting anyone. John Ortiz is possibly the only actor this film that gives his role a little bit of realism as the middle man/distributor between our duo and Montoya. You would expect him to be cold and calculating and one of the main people that could cause real trouble for our duo. But even when he does you don't feel he's any real threat. And everyone else in the film just seems shoehorned in with a few strange over the top lines to make them a bit more memorable - except that I can't remember the lines or for that matter the characters very well.
OK so you have probably guessed that I'm not too impressed but for everything that is unimpressive there is not a bad soundtrack with original music by John Murphy and the likes of Moby, Audioslave, Mogwai, oh and of course a Phil Collins song to name but a few. And it does really lift the film and give it a cool edge and ok so you haven't got your Jan Hammer theme from the TV series but it is a really well chosen soundtrack. And that backed by quite sharp directing from Michael Mann gives the film quite a stylised feel which probably lends to the coldness of the film but nevertheless makes it quite enjoyable to watch. And that is the quandary with this film. The story is not great, the acting is not great, the tension is non existent but it's not a bad film to watch. Perhaps I was just pining for a film with the same feel as the TV series and so from that point of view it didn't meet my expectations but although I might not rush to watch it again but I wouldn't turn it off if I found it on television and I wouldn't discourage anyone from seeing it either. As a way to pass an evening it's OK - I just wish I could say it was in the same league as other Michael Mann films.
Advantages: Fantastic visuals; intense attention to detail; atmospheric; great direction; partnership between Farrell and Foxx captured well Disadvantages: Lack of character drama; overly heavy storyline; visuals superficially come out on top; drawn out in places; distanced from audience
...it has been said that Miami Vice did for the 80s what the Sopranos did for the late 90s and beyond. Taking the basic premise of the original series and reshaping and condensing it into a film is a task that Michael Mann (who was an executive producer in the series) is well suited to. He's demonstrated directorial masterclass in Heat, the Insider, Collateral and Ali, one of the most competent directors around today. Not only has he adopted his own ... ...atmosphere, and tight, tense plots. Miami Vice holds all of these fundamental traits, and with the aim to live up to the series as well as Mann's past films, it is no doubt his most ambitious project to date.
Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) are two hardline, professional narcs. Their jobs are top priority, and their partnership is built on a sturdy, but detached trust. They infiltrate drug trafficking organisations, ...
harlequin21 02.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Miami Vice (DVD)
Advantages: Jamie Foxx in the shower Disadvantages: Weak story, poor performances
...happens to be set in Miami at least some of the time.
The film jumps straight into the action as Crockett (Colin Farrell with dodgy hair and an even dodgier moustache) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) are in a nightclub trying to make a bust when Crockett gets a call from one of their informants who has been working with the FBI, and has had his cover blown. Crockett and Tubbs then take over the drugs deal for the FBI and this leads to Crockett meeting and ... ...and Tubbs' girlfriend being kidnapped by white supremacists. I found this part of the film all a bit confusing, and the film didn't really engage me. Whether I was confused because the film wasn't holding my attention and I lost the plot or whether the film was confusing anyway and I just got bored I'm not sure, although I suspect the latter. There were some fast car chases, some gun battles and a token effort at romance. The acting performances ...
Essexgirl2006 03.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Miami Vice (DVD)
Advantages: Excellent direction Disadvantages: No plot!!!
...for the FBI and therefore Miami police get involved as they are unknown to the dealers). There is also a subplot of Tubbs' girlfriend being kidnapped by white supremacists. To be honest, there isn't too much of a plot and what there is seems to be pieced together through by some very tenuous links. The kidnap plot felt more like an afterthought to pad the film out!
Acting
Jamie Foxx is excellent in this film in my opinion. He is able to carry off ... ...cannot be said of Colin Farrell! His accent seems to wander between Texan and Irish (I believe he took voice coaching for the role) and maybe it was just me but I didn't really connect with his character at all.
Direction
OK, this is where the film scores highly with me, the scenery shots used by Michael Mann are amazing, as is the camera action when you are following the car chases. The film looks great, very sleek and sophisticated.
What's wrong ...
jovichick123 20.04.2007 (27.04.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Miami Vice (DVD)
Advantages: Eddie Marsan's quite good Disadvantages: A diabolical script, appling performances and cack-handed direction
Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs are undercover vice cops in sun-baked Miami. There world is one of fast cars, gun-fights and sexy women. But on the trail of a ruthless South American drug lord, the pair find themselves caught up in a series of tricky romantic and criminal situations.
Considering his more gritty recent output ("Collateral", "Heat"), it's easy to forget that Michael Mann was behind the entirely vacuous "Miami Vice" series that summed ... ...cops. Sadly, this dreadful movie brings it all flooding back. I don't think it would be so bad were it not that this is style-over-substance masquerading as gritty realism. Mann shoots hand-held in digital video, a tactic that is often used to give events a documentary quality. But that simply doesn't work when the set-ups are so patently ludicrous. The saturated colours make the city look gaudy and unreal and there are many "arty" out-of-focus shots ...
afy9mab 11.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Miami Vice (DVD)
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Advantages: Terrific mix of style,music and action.Johnson and thomas make ideal designer cops Disadvantages: none
Miamivice was one of the most exciting and stylish shows in the 1980s.I can remember way back in 1985 when the show premiered in the uk for first time being blown away by it.It was totally different to anything seen on tv at the time.When the show was originally devised it was to appeal to the mtv generation who liked a mix of music with there action.The show transcended this original layout and ran for five seasons from 1984 to 1989.It focused on a elite team of VICE detevtives in miami.They were led by the tactiurn Costillo( Edward james olmos) and the star detectives Crockett( Don johnson) and Tubbs( Philip micheal thomas).Every week they would tackle crime in Miami and they would not always emerge with good results.The fashion of the show with the way the stars dressed also raised interest in the show with the electric music adding ...
Advantages: A gripping crime drama with exotic locations and deep cover plot Disadvantages: Chemistry not good enough bettween Farell and Li
Crockett and Tubbs ride again, although you might not know it if the box cover didn't tell you this was Miamivice. The Charachters called each other by their first names and didn't behave like the 1980's charachters at all. Nor was any of the original music present.
The producers and directors must have feared that making a movie about this series would feel way too retro so they seem to have gone overboard compensating by updating the feel to be modern.
The result was a very dark and gripping super-deep-undercover crime drama spanning several different Central American countries, crime syndicates, and American anti-crime agencies like the FBI and MiamiVice cops.
The FBI seems to have a leak and can't be trusted to take down the biggest drug lord, so Crockett and Tubbs volunteer for the job and find themselves in some ...
MIAMI VICE follows the violent adventures of Crockett and Tubbs. With Miami at the centre of a global drug trade, their job of stopping illegal trafficking is hard and dangerous work, yet they are also rewarded with gorgeous girls and local celebrity. But their access to wealth, drugs, and power is tempting, and both men continually struggle with personal demons to stay on the right side of the law.
Miami and beyond - Shooting on location, Miami Vice undercover, 'In The Air Tonight' music video
Aspect Ratio
2.40 Wide Screen, 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Professional reviews
Review
There's a classy but urgent verve to the scenes with Farrell and Foxx....Foxx is the cooler, more focused partner, while Farrell plays Crockett like a coiled spring (Total Film, 20/09/2006)
MIAMI VICE is pure Michael Mann and a dark exploration of the war against drug dealers....The action is knock-out from start to finish (Ultimate DVD, 20/09/2006)
DVD Description
MIAMI VICE follows the violent adventures of Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx). With Miami at the centre of a global drug trade, their job of stopping illegal trafficking is hard and dangerous work, yet they are also rewarded with gorgeous girls and local celebrity. But their access to wealth, drugs, and power is tempting, and both men continually struggle with personal demons to stay on the right side of the law. In 1984, director Michael Mann made television--and fashion--history with his action-packed, neon-lit crime series, MIAMI VICE. The series was a hit for five years and became a cultural phenomenon. Now Mann, who has made quite a career for himself in Hollywood, with Oscar-nominated films including ALI, HEAT, and THE INSIDER, updates his small-screen hit for the movie going public, crafting a sparkling, roller-coaster ride of a movie that is perfectly complemented by its bright colours and kinetic movement. From a frenetic opening scene at a nightclub to an undercover infiltration of a South American drug cartel, the action barely lets up. And when Crockett meets the irresistible Isabella (Chinese bombshell Gong Li), the mistress of hotshot drug dealer Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar), business mixes dangerously with pleasure, on dance floors and between sheets. As he did with the television show, Mann manages to make a guilty pleasure psychologically nuanced and politically charged--eye candy with depth. And despite the mesmerizing cinematography, the actors manage to be as striking as their surroundings, turning in strong, dynamic performances.
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