C-.

Felt like every member of the cast needed subtitles. Technically its impressive, but the films structure is not.

B+


Put me in the lovers camp for this one. This movie was a one of a kind experience. It's not flawless and not for everyone, but I think it should be at lesst seen on the big screen.Obviously, anyone going into a Michael Mann film expecting Lethal Weapon or Bad Boys is going to be sorely disappointing. I have read many complaints of little chemistry between Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell despite them being a buddy pairing. Well, truth to be said, yes there is not much chemistry. In fact, they barely interact with each other during the film. But this is not a buddy cops actioner to begin with. This is an "undercover police work drama". That is what I expected from it and it's exactly what I got. There are no flashy car chases, no over-the-top shootouts or fight scenes. It keeps as closely to realism as it gets. Michael Mann proves once again that he is one of the best directors currently working in Hollywood.

As said above, the film tries to keep it as down-to-earth and realistic as possible. Realism is really the keyword here. While there is really little action in the film, the action that does happen on screen is very visceral, brutal and at times shocking. The movie does not shy away from violence. One scene in particula almost made me jump. When the skinhead threatening to blow himself up with all the others gets shot just in the middle of the conversation and just out of nowhere you see (and hear) the shot and see the slight red cloud of blood sprayed in the air. I must say that after all the hype and build-up, the final showdown shooutout wasn't all it made out to be. It stayed realistic and gritty, but I wish it lasted a bit longer. The way Jose Yero and the main skinhead were offed, though, was awesome.

On the whole, however, this is not an action movie and no one should go in there looking for action and much excitement. It is a raw drama. Not everything in it works. The side characters are severely underdeveloped. In fact, every single character except for Li's Isabella and Farrell's Sonny could have used more development. The relationship between Foxx and Harris is not shown to its full effect. To be honest, even though it's running time clocks at just over 130 minutes, I felt the movie was too short for what it set out to do. I definitely wished for at least 20 more minutes and I am certainly looking forward to Mann's 150+ minutes epic Director's Cut as it can only improve on the film's shortcomings. The movie was over sooner than I thought. I was never bored throughout and it never dragged.

The feature's two strongest aspects are the great chemistry between Farrell and Li and the excellent visual style of the movie. The Farrell/Li couple was very well-chosen and you could feel the heat and the sparks betwen them (something I thought was sorely missing from Superman Returns for instance). As far as the visuals go...a lot has been said about them and they can't be praised enough. Collateral was a good-looking film, but this one beats it as far as the style goes by far. The cinematography is the year's best so far and I doubt a film will come along with better camera work. There are so many simply stunning images in the film. Mann brought Miami to live in the same way he did it to LA in Collateral. The scenes of the powerboat in the open water are breathtaking and so are the shot of the huge waterfall. The editing, the scores...it all fits together perfectly here.

Keeping in line with the realism, the main villain, Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar) can escape and isn't captured. In the few moments Tosar was on screen, he delivered a very impressive performance. Sadly John Ortiz' Jose Yera was a blander villain than I wished for.

Overall, it is a beautiful film to look at which stays grounded in realism (which is a blessing and a curse considering it is not very exciting, but it is also something we don't usually see) and Farrell/Li light up the screen when they are together. A longer cut could improve the underdevelopment of the side characters and show the undercover work more in detail, as I thought it all went down too fast and could have been expanded upon. I remain with a B+, slightly leaning to an A-. I'll wait for the longer cut before making the final decision. I liked the movie pretty much equally with Collateral, though the Tom Cruise starrer had a better-flowing storyline, but didn't look nearly as wonderful as Miami Vice. It is one of the summer's best films.

REAL!?!

emm..

That could be said with the tone, the action but I couldn't make myself to believe that these bland-written characters are real.

Although, agree on Mann's fabulous direction (deeply love the tone, the mood, love the look of this movie), the cinematography.

And the romantic sub-plot sucked, which is bad because it took much of screen time. I couldn't feel the chemistry between Farrell and Li at all.

**1/2 out of *****

Amazingly, I still haven't seen this yet and at this point, I'll probably wait for the DVD, but it amazes me how most of Michael Mann's movie's clearly have there share of supporters moreso than non-supporters, but this movie seems to be divided right down the middle in you either like it or hate it with no inbetween.. Interesting.. I wonder if it's possible for this movie to be the type that you hate it at 1st, but through the course of time, it grows on you???

Shame on you BKB for not seeing it. This film is really best seen on the big screen and the big screen only.

I don't know how i didn't see this in the cinema. Just passed me by. DVD-land awaits for me as well.

I just think your perception is flawed since I really dont think you were ever disappointed with any movie you pimp over the website wheter its Saw,Fantastic Four,Amityville Horror or AvP before their releases. I was looking forward to Miami Vice but it was nothing remotely resembling the tv series. Not enough locational look for Miami, no chases, not enough gun action, and none of the 80s style. It looked like they just took a cop movie set in Miami and just slapped on the name MV to it. What drags the movie down further is the onscreen time between Gong Li and Farrell. Half the time I dont understand Gong Li and she displays the emotion of a pitbull, I just wanted her to die

I don't really think that's fair, he did make a point of missing it in theaters because of the bad reviews and WOM.

Doesn't hold up too well on a second viewing. Meh.

Really? That's a shame, I'd blame part of that on being a mostly visual movie... How does the director's cut compare to the theatrical cut from what you could tell?

After considerable thought, I don't think Mann wanted this movie to be anything like the MTV 80's TV show with all the Cyndi Lauper music playing in the background along with all the other 80's bubblegum music played to.. What sort of locational look do you want for a city like Miami where most of the movie was shot at night anyway??? Your not really gonna see that much at night other than the awesome neon night lights from the city Mann displayed and 1 other thing I will note: Most of the reviews I read for this movie complained of Gong Li and her so called broken English.. There wasn't anything wrong with the way this woman spoke and I could understand her perfectly.. She did a good job for what she was given to do.. Makes me sort of wonder had Mann casted Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas reprising the roles as Crockett and Tubbs from the TV Show and left the movie the way it was, if critics and viewers would've bought into it better??? It definitely had the feel of what an episode involving drug running on the TV show had and translated well here..

I didn't notice too much of a difference, other than the opening scene, which made the film open like a normal film instead of just jumping into a random club scene. Other than that, not much.

I hope it maintains the visual punch it had. It was gorgeous.

It was gorgeous. Michael Mann knows how to bring a grainy urban flair to his movies. He ignited Miami almost the same way he did with Los Angeles in Collateral.

I found the plot to be a little confusing and, for the most part, kinda bland. The whole "undercover cop in the drug world" has been done countless times. However, the technical aspects of the movie bring a level of intensity that elevates it a bit. Not to mention Gong Li, who was great.

B

C. This is based on the director's cut dvd. The movie was seriously miscast with bad acting by Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, and even Gong Li. The storyline, while very easy to understand, was too typical and conventional and adds nothing new to the table. Visually it was just okay, never approaching the awesomneness of Collateral. Producers should forever fear hiring Michael Mann for a film again, who somehow made a $135 budget film look like it cost less than $50 million.

I really, really didn't like it.

Gong Li was about the only redeeming factor of the film, and even I didn't think it was a great performance overall. (thought she was excellent in the ending scenes, though.)

It felt a lot longer than it could have been, and the relationship of the characters weren't exactly well done.

Initially a C, maybe a C-.

Second viewing hurts it is right. Without being able to witness the beautiful cinematography on the big screen, there's very little to make me suggest someone rents it.

Well I saw it for the first time last night (on DVD), and I was still pretty impressed. Mind you I enjoyed Collateral much more on the big screen than at home, so I can't really compare Miami Vice in the same way.

I'd like to negate my comment about the story being clichéd, considering I just found out that Miami Vice (the TV show) was based around an undercover narcotics division. It would have been silly for Mann to veer away from that, so I can't really fault him for using it in the script.

For the most part though, I tend to agree with the overall consensus about the plot. The first half was boring, while the second half was much better. Despite the lack of character development, I felt the ending was very well done and almost even poetic. The shoot out was brilliant...seriously one of the best I've ever seen...and that scene in the trailer, where the female cop shoots that guy in the head, was probably the most satisfying kill I've ever witnessed in a cop movie. heh.

And the score was excellent too. Mind you that's to be expected from a Mann movie.

That's what I was afraid of when seeing the film on the big screen. The cinematography is seriously stunning and should be seen on the big screen.

An absolute snore of a film. C-.

Very stylish and compelling crime drama, with small but effective amounts of action. The story, not the characters or the visuals, is the clear centrepoint of the film, and it's interesting enough to involve me, at least, during slow parts in the film. Though the pace is very deliberate and slow, the film never drags or feels boring, and it makes it the fantastic finale even better. Unfortunately, the characters aren't well-developed at all, and thus their relationships - especially between Farrell and Gong Li - don't feel natural and, ultimately, take away from the central plot. All is redeemed, however, by the stunning direction, especially during the final firefight - just some fantastic cinematography. Some better actors and some more character development could have made this a truly great film, but, for now, it's merely pretty good.

F
One of the worst movies I've ever forced myself to sit through.

Well, Miami Vice has been a favourite of mine since I saw it in cinemas in 2006. I thought I'd watch half-an-hour before bed, but its super cool atmosphere is just so gripping, so I watched whole film. Mann positions us in the heart of the action, almost as if we're there with these characters. The skin-clenching hair on Isabella's shower time neck, the intimate lower back of Tubbs' riding torso, and so on. Aided by Mann's grainy Viper choice, the film just feels so authentic. Mann's choice of music is also spot on. "Autorock" becoming another winning closer as "Requiem" and "God Moving.." were before it. The film isn't perfect, but it's so fucking well made, and for whatever chemistry Li ruins between herself and Farrell, Mann more than compensates for.

A

I've always kept this film close to heart and just rewatched the director's cut again to much joy. It's just a delicious film with a surplus of style boosted by a nice cast. There's a grit and slickness to the film like hardly anything else and love every scene of it. If there is one point of criticism it's that the dialogue is sometimes sounds vague, and which I can imagine on a first viewing leaves the door open for some confusion about the where and what. On a repeat viewing it's easily not an issue however and I just sink into the film's world.

A