One of the most popular television shows of the 1980s, MIAMI VICE helped define the fashion and music of the period while simultaneously maintaining a high quality police drama... more
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be instantly transported back to 1984. But this groundbreaking series, with its cinematic sensibility, cool clothes, and killer soundtrack is no mere blast from the past. It still rocks. This three-disc set would be worthless if it didn't. Music was an integral part of Miami Vice's hip vibe. The soundtrack propelled the stories and established the mood like no series before it. So the first thing you want to know is: Have the music rights been secured for this DVD release? In the pilot episode, does Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" still play ominously as vice undercover cops Crockett and Tubbs speed toward a bust? Does Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" serenade Sonny and Gina on his boat in the episode "One-Eyed Jack?" And what would the benchmark episode, "Smuggler's Blues" be without Glenn Frey's instant classic? From the Rolling Stones on a boombox to Elvis Presley singing "Rubberneckin'" on a TV, Vice's cutting-edge soundtrack has been preserved and honed in 5.1 surround sound glory. Miami Vice made stars out of Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, and Edward James Olmos, who won an Emmy as the intense, taciturn Lt. Castillo (watching him bust some martial arts moves in "Golden Triangle" is like Yoda cutting lose in Attack of the Clones), but the first season also offers time-capsule glimpses of actors on the cusp of stardom, including a pre-L.A. Law Jimmy Smits in the pilot, a pre-Crime Story Dennis Farina in "One-Eyed Jack," and a pre-Moonlighting Bruce Willis in "No Exit." Miami Vice put a neon sheen on cop-show convention. Its fashion sense (pastel suits, no belt, no socks), and the brilliantly employed freeze frames are still arresting. Miami Vice was a TV watershed, and this DVD set does it full justice. --Donald Liebenson
be instantly transported back to 1984. But this groundbreaking series, with its cinematic sensibility, cool clothes, and killer soundtrack is no mere blast from the past. It still rocks. This three-disc set would be worthless if it didn't. Music was an integral part of Miami Vice's hip vibe. The soundtrack propelled the stories and established the mood like no series before it. So the first thing you want to know is: Have the music rights been secured for this DVD release? In the pilot episode, does Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" still play ominously as vice undercover cops Crockett and Tubbs speed toward a bust? Does Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" serenade Sonny and Gina on his boat in the episode "One-Eyed Jack?" And what would the benchmark episode, "Smuggler's Blues" be without Glenn Frey's instant classic? From the Rolling Stones on a boombox to Elvis Presley singing "Rubberneckin'" on a TV, Vice's cutting-edge soundtrack has been preserved and honed in 5.1 surround sound glory. Miami Vice made stars out of Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, and Edward James Olmos, who won an Emmy as the intense, taciturn Lt. Castillo (watching him bust some martial arts moves in "Golden Triangle" is like Yoda cutting lose in Attack of the Clones), but the first season also offers time-capsule glimpses of actors on the cusp of stardom, including a pre-L.A. Law Jimmy Smits in the pilot, a pre-Crime Story Dennis Farina in "One-Eyed Jack," and a pre-Moonlighting Bruce Willis in "No Exit." Miami Vice put a neon sheen on cop-show convention. Its fashion sense (pastel suits, no belt, no socks), and the brilliantly employed freeze frames are still arresting. Miami Vice was a TV watershed, and this DVD set does it full justice. --Donald Liebenson
Plot: Sonny and Rico are two cops who work undercover for the Miami Police Department. They must balance their myriad personal problems with the difficulty of being undercover in some of Miami's most rotten criminal businesses.
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
Release date: 24/07/2006
No of Discs: 8
Catalogue No: 8238690
Barcode: 5050582386905
Screenwriter: Michael Mann
Creator: Michael Mann
Executive Producer: Michael Mann
Languages
Main Language: English
Release details
Producer: Michael Mann
DVD Description
One of the most popular television shows of the 1980s, MIAMI VICE helped define the fashion and music of the period while simultaneously maintaining a high quality police drama standard. The show is famous for its pastel colours and bright south Florida settings, which serve to counteract the sleaze its main characters often had to deal with. Sonny and Rico are two cops who work undercover for the Miami Police Department. They must balance their myriad personal problems with the difficulty of being undercover in some of Miami's most rotten criminal businesses. Luckily, upbeat 80s music and their own personal sense of cool help. MIAMI VICE made a star out of Don Johnson, who eventually won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sonny, and supporting star Edward James Olmos (as a police captain) won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy. MIAMI VICE is a fascinating cultural document of the 1980s as well as an effective and exciting cop show.
Professional reviews
Review: TV's Hottest And Hippest... Cop Show. (Time Magazine, )
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
...Giving an extremely popular 80s series a re-do is no doubt a challenge. Indeed, it has been said that MiamiVice 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 unique and brilliant visceral trademark, but his films have a taste for sharp, intense scripts, meticulous attention to detail, atmosphere, and tight, tense plots. MiamiVice 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...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Terrific mix of style,music and action.Johnson and thomas make ideal designer cops Disadvantages: none
...the drama of the show.
The dvd which features the pilot and two parter episodes are both excellent.The pilot sees tubbs travelling to miami to track down Underworld kingpin Calderone.He teams up with miami detective crockett and a exciting game of cat and mouse occurs.
The golden triangle episodes sees an old adversary of costillo return to miami which places the streets in danger.All three episodes are well directed and acted and show the series at the top of its game.
The dvd sound and picture quality are very good and is a must for fans of the show...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
...Boring and difficult to follow the plot . This is an action film and therefore I would expect it to be fast paced and exciting ,not requiring that much concentration in order to understand what the plot is about. I got bored after fifteen minutes because I really could not understand what was going on . Colin Farrell managed to look ugly and I will admit that one of the components that drew me to the DVD is that he is usually not exactly hard on the eyes. Let us just say that long hair is not his forte. As to performances, well I did not expect much because of the genre and I did not get much . Wooden and desperately trying to look cool . The original TV series is miles better than this. The special effects were fine but nothing earth shaking . As for the soundtrack, again , not a patch on the original TV series....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
somewhat helpful 11.02.2008
(12.02.2008)
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