Much better then I anticipated, but that isn't saying a lot as I walked in with very low expectations. Very stylish, very gritty and hyperviolent but very well done. The character development is phenomenal and the story moves along fairly well. It is a bit confusing at first and towards the middle it does drag a bit but overall it is very entertaining. B+

Beautifully shot and made but quite boring at times. I yawned about 5 times. The Beginning and the end are good but the middle drags way too much. overall I'd say C+/B-

As for the actor, they were all alright. No one was spectacular.

I really just wanna give it a big F for being so damn dissapointing, but it really isnt that bad of a film, I just had my hopes too high and why wouldnt I? It had a solid cast with one of the best directors out there. I cant imagine that this film at one point was over 150min, even for a 2hr running time it felt too long, I had to wait 100min for the film to actually go into second gear, movie really felt like a very long first act that skipped the second and went straight to third. It felt like almost everyone was practically sleep walking through the roles, very one tone film. I really expected the film to be much more flashy. The digital look though, I really can do without, sometime the film got INCREDIBLY grainy looking, but other times ( when there was plenty of light in the scene ) it looked very good. I really dont know where that HUGE budget went.

It still had it's redeeming moments, some really great scenes, the beginning was pretty awsome how Mann just put us straight into the middle of things, alot of good shots, when there was action ( which there was VERY little of ) it was decent, and the film always had a consistent pace.

C+

It was better than I was expecting based on the many negative reviews. I thought the way it opened without any credits was very effective and I loved the visuals throughout the movie. The dark look of the movie was effective and made a lot more sense than if Mann had used the pastels from the 80s version.

About 20 minutes in the cuts from scene to scene were too disjointed and jumpy forcing the audience to work too hard to try and keep up with what was going on, but then things settled down better and flowed more smoothly to the end. I really liked Colin Farrell's Sonny, but thought Jamie Foxx's Tubbs was a bit too solemn, except in the scenes with his lady...those were nice & showed a more relaxed side of his character. The action wasn't as frenetic as I expected and Elvis was nowhere in sight...but the music, while not Phil Collins, wasn't bad.

Overall, I thought it was a decent summer flick...I'd give it a B or a B-.

What can I say, it was disappointing . Mann is a stylistic master and his talents are once again on display in Miami Vice, but the script just didn't give me enough moments to actually care about these guys and the few that were there (Farrell and Li's scenes) were devoid of chemistry and, at times, poorly written. The film had a dynamite beginning and I liked how they took a detour with Sonny and Isabella in Havana, but their subsequent scene outside of the club just fell flat. Some stuff worked and some didn't, making it a very uneven experience. I had a serious issue with the dialogue mixing and just the general delivery of Foxx and especially Farrell, who mumble and slur almost all their lines together rendering large parts of some scenes incomprehensible. Farrell got a little better towards the end, but in general I just wasn't feeling either of their characters a whole lot and the sense of commaraderie they should have had was lacking.

The story was a little confusing at points, the Yero double cross and the relevance of his e-mail kind of went over my head (what was he trying to accomplish?), but I appreciated the attention to detail and exploration of these types of criminal organizations and procedures was quite intriguing. Along with Gong Li, I thought the two villians of the piece, Jesus and Jose came away with the most interesting characters and the best performances. I really wished the film could have seen Sonny and Ricardo develop a trust with Yero and kind of cozy up to him, that way there would have been an emotional shift in dynamics, instead of Yero just basically hating both of them through the whole movie.

Which brings me to the look of the film. Stunning. Now, I'm not the studio who gave Mann the huge budget, so I'm not concerned with how what is on-screen lives up to that (but yeah it shouldn't have cost that much ), all I can say is that I loved the graininess at the start, the lush Havana photography, the amazing flight sequences, the jaw-dropping boat sequences (especially the ones at night ) and the general skill and craftsmanship that Mann brought it all together with. He has such a great directing style. Some of the club stuff at the beginning might have been a little too heavily edited (it was in Collateral as well), but aside from that, I just dig the way he shoots the actors, getting right up in their face at times and picking up odd facial angles. Camera placement is another one of his strongsuits. It's the simple things, like people getting out of cars or just walking around that he makes fresh and cool. Fuck Michael Bay, Michael Mann is the king of how to shoot cool.

I really wish Miami Vice could have had a first 2/3 as strong as Collateral and Collateral could really have benifited from Miami Vice's ass kicking conclusion. Combine these two flicks and you'd have something near the level of Heat. Of course we all know how great the gun battle on the streets of LA is in that flick and I would wager to say that Mann just about equalled it with the one at the end of Miami Vice. Just as he did with Heat, Mann ratchets up the tension and then the shit hits the fan in spectacular fashion. We get such a good sense of the geography of the action, something so many wannabe action directors today just don't fucking understand how to do. There's a great shot here that shows one bad guy get gunned down, his blood spatters on the camera, we push over to the left and behind some cover to see another guy firing over at the white BMW (where Farrell and Li are) and then after a few rounds the camera swings around again and goes back to the Escalade. We see some actual tactics being used by Crockett and Tubbs' partners and the way Tubbs himself flanks that one mofo is super badass. Fucking great sequence alltogether. Makes me wish Mann would do an all out actioner, tho maybe that would take away from the impact.

Anyway, a visually stunning, but very uneven movie. Very little resonated with me besides a stunning climax, good beginning and some assorted character moments in between. Nice attention to detail, but some confusing and rushed story elements, with some rather unengaging characterization and monotone delivery apart from some charismatic villians and Gong Li.


B-/C+

HOT! SEXY! COOL! CRAZY! THRILLING!!

Mann scores again.
The man's simply awsome in directing gun battles.

A

When it was first announced that the popular 1980's television series "Miami Vice" was going to be adapted into a major motion picture, many were filled with skepticism. It had been over fifteen years since the series aired its final episode and since then the world had become a very different place. Some wondered how the storylines and characters that were present would be translated to modern times. Thankfully, many breathed a sigh of relief when Michael Mann, the show's executive producer, signed on to direct the project. Mann had just had the biggest hit of his career in 2004's Collateral, a thrilling and exciting action film that won over critics and audiences everywhere. He enlisted a talented ensemble for the film including Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and sex symbol Colin Farrell. It seemed as if he had another smash on his hands. Unfortunately, the film no longer seems poised to set the box office on fire. Despite a talented cast and crew, Miami Vice is one of the most uninteresting and utterly mediocre summer offerings on display this season.

The incredibly confusing plotline involves two detectives, Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) who work along the drug infested streets of Miami. After a tragic occurance resulting in the death of an informant (John Hawkes) and his family, the FBI enlists their help and asks them to go undercover - in an attempt to expose a vicious and intelligent arms and drug trafficker named Arcangel de Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar). The pair soon find themselves under his good graces, and Crockett begins to feel a strong attraction towards Montoya's beautiful banker and assistant Isabella (Gong Li). But soon the two find themselves in too deep, and after a shocking incident sends Tubbs' girlfriend (Naomie Harris) to the hospital - they must band together to bring down Montoya and everything he stands for.

Despite being released in the midst of many summer blockbusters, do not go in to Miami Vice expecting a film that in any way resembles the original television show. The names are the same, as well as the general concept. But other than that this is a largely bleak affair, with the sense of fun and excitement noticeably absent. Despite claims that the movie is an action-adventure film, the action sequences are few and far between. Instead, the film drags on with meandering and confusing dialogue sure to alienate the viewer - and a plot that is filled with predictable cop movie cliches. None of the characters are given any sort of back story, which serves as a good explanation for why they are not charismatic in the slightest. Everyone here is sad and dejected, with the same look present on their face throughout the entire duration. Because of all this, the film seems as if it will never end, and by the time it does you will likely be running out of the theater.

Michael Mann, after doing such brilliant work on Collateral, really should have known better. I expected more from him with this project, especially since the show was one that he helped get started. He understood what made that series work and it seems as if he has completely disregarded it here. The show thrived off interesting characters and the tone switching appropriately from light to dark - leaving the audience with a satisfying and entertaining experience. There was also humor on display to brighten up the mood at times. It seems odd that he would throw that all away for this slow and incredibly boring screenplay. However, proof that he is still a solid director is still present here. He has a unique visual style that feels realistic but is also a feast for the eyes. The color schemes present here are excellent, and Mann uses all of his locations to perfection. While it isn't his best work, he still manages to show how much talent he really has.

The cast is one of the most disappointing aspects of the film, especially considering how talented each and every actor is. Jamie Foxx, who gained a bad reputation on this project for being notoriously hard to work with, is bland here and seems very bored with the character that he is playing. Colin Farrell, who is given much more screentime, is better - attempting to give the role some emotion and character. But for the most part both of the portrayls are very unenergetic and lazy, hardly allowing the viewer to become captivated by their characters. The actors also suffer from sharing next to no chemistry, playing "buddies" who never really seem to show any sign of actually liking each other. Naomie Harris, who delivered a scene-stealing performance in this summer's blockbuster Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, lightens up the atmosphere for a brief while and manages to charm the audience - despite the fact that she barely appears onscreen and is soon put into a coma in order to increase dramatic tension that is never present in the first place. The best of the cast is Gong Li who serves as the most interesting character of the entire piece. She gives exactly what is required of her - and makes the role her own by adding sass and a sense of mystery as well.

This could have been such a great film. Mann is an excellent director and the cast is full of talented thespians. Unfortunately, Miami Vice is a mess - and a boring one at that. These characters are certainly not ones that will stay with you and the bland performances pretty much ensure this fact. The screenplay attempts to create tension that never materializes, and action sequences are few and far between. This overlong and talky film is not only one of the year's biggest disappointments, but also one of the worst films of this summer season. Crockett and Tubbs, may you rest in peace. Your franchise is officially dead on arrival.

4/10 (D+)

I'm utterly shocked at the reviews I'm reading here.

This was seriously so close to knocking Brick off as my number one film of the year so far. This is an amazing, hypnotic film. I'll have some more thoughts later, but as far as grades go...

A+, or ****

This really is a Hit or Miss with the audience and after reading about 20 User Reviews from MSN, All ranging from 5 Stars to downright 1 star, the chief complaint of this movie is the fact that it's not like the TV Show and for the Love of God, it was never meant to be like the TV Show.. Now I was a product of that time period and I enjoyed MIAMI VICE Every Friday Night right after HUNTER on NBC, But that was then and this is now.. Why would one want to recreate that time period of the 80's right down to the Polyester MTV Style of Clothing for folks who weren't born back then, especially for 99% of this site as well as other's??? I'm gonna try and catch this movie today and I'm beginning to wonder that if this doesn't do well Domestically(and it doesn't seem like it will) if it will have a better audience on DVD??

You're a style-junkie, heh.

It wasn't about the style. Yeah, the style was great, but I was more enthralled with the story than anything else.

About that...

I guess I'll start with what everyone else is talking about - the look of the film. It's directed by Michael Mann who is one of our more gifted filmmakers visually, so you should know straight away that it's going to have great compositions and movement, and it does. What you may be surprised by due to Mann's new found love for the digital format is just how fucking great everything looks. This film looks better than Collateral, which for me was the previous benchmark for digital filmmaking. Every little light is picked up to perfection (the Miami skyline at night is stunning here), and Mann is able to push his camera into places that give the film an original look and a great sense of geography and movement (esepcially in the action scenes). Yes, there are several instances of grain, but to me that just enhanced the general tone of the film, which I guess brings me to what I liked most about Miami Vice...

The tone, mood, and feel of the film is magnificent. It's very dark and gritty, yes. But what caught me off gaurd was how damn lethal the film felt. The first hour and fourty five minutes or so is mostly exposition, with large groups of people talking about things we barely understand and constantly plotting out their next moves. In the hands of a less competent filmmaker, these moments would feel tedious, boring, and incomprehensible. With Mann, though, the film constantly feels like it's on the verge of a frenzy. Like it could erupt into a bloodbath at any moment. And this is where the true beauty of the film lies. Every single scene feels potentially explosive, whether it's with sexual energy or violence. And because of this, scenes that would normally drag fly by in a blur. Mann is a master at pulling the strings.

The story has been labeled incomprehensible by some. I think it's brilliant. Mann drops us right in the middle of the story, so it takes awhile for us to get our feet and follow right along. The thing is though, we never get to the point as an audience where we feel truly comfortable with what is happening. The entire scope of it all is just outside our reach. And that's the brilliance of it, and that's what Mann wants. He wants us to feel like the vice detectives the film is about. We have a fairly good handle on the proceedings, but everything feels dangerous because the corners aren't quite shaded in.

That, and the events are interesting and enthralling. I was deeply invested in what was occuring in the film at every moment. Whether it was the budding love story between Sonny and Isabella (Gong Li, who is brilliant here), or the unravelling of the drug syndicate that goes much deeper than the detectives originally thought, my eyes were glued to the screen.

The action sequences are brilliant. Yes, there are only two or three true scenes of action (and they're mostly confined to the final thirty minutes), but I actually think that benefits the film. Mann lets the tension build and build until it finally explodes in a huge blaze of brilliantly bloody gun play. As I touched on earlier, Mann's camera movements give the action sequences a feeling of geography and movement that most action films can't touch. A great example of this is the climactic shootout.

So, yeah... I love this film. It's definitely not what most people will be expecting (advertising it as an action film was a mistake), but it's easily one of the best films of the year.

I find Gong Li's Spanish here strangely appealing... brilliant work from her.

I really, really liked this film.

Awful film in every way possible. The plot is a muddled, uninteresting mess and the pacing is dreadful (There's no reason for the film to run as long as it does). The characters are under-developed and bland, the writing is cliched and otherwise dull, the film looks like crap and the acting, aside for maybe Farrell, is pathetic. Foxx looks very bored and Gong Li was awfully awkward in every scene she was in. Plus, her English was a garbled mess and embarassing to listen to. Heck, Michael Mann couldn't even get the style down right as Collateral looked way more stylish than this mess.

Grade: F (One of the worst of the year)

you're barred from using "brilliant" for at least 4 months.

Gong Li's character is annoying and I hated the ending where Sonny drove her back to safely and aided a criminal. Other than that I love the locations and style although the film moves very very slow and the characters were not appealing at all
C+

I gotta say Mann is a pu$$y when it comes to his endings, dont know if it's the studios coming down on him or if it's his decision, but it's a sucky one.

I also gotta agree that Gong Li cannot execute lines in English very well, I remember some fans of hers were thinking Oscars because of early word from David Poland or one of those chumps, she's not getting nominated for jack shit when it comes to this film.

Agree wholeheartedly. She has zero screen presence in this film. None. Zilch. Nada. Almost anyone else would have been a better choice, preferably someone with a better grasp of the English language.

I must see this film NOW

Lucy Liu comes to mind as a far better choice to play Li's role. I really liked her in Lucky Number Slevin, an otherwise mediocre movie.

John Ortiz was really the only true shining point when it comes to the cast, imo. I didnt really enjoy how Mann played out Crockett, he felt like the poor mans version of De Niro in Heat.

Speaking of Mann, is there a director more overrated than he is? Sure, The Insider was decent as was Heat and of course, The Last of the Mohicans. Other than that though, Miami Vice and Ali were both overlong crap, Collateral was entertaining but hardly great, I've never been a fan of Manhunter (Silence of the Lambs is 1000 times better), and the less said about The Keep the better.

His resume doesn't get close to matching up to the truly great directors (Scorsese, Spielberg, Cameron, etc.).

I cant say Mann is overated because Heat is one of my favorite films and both Collateral and Mohicans are great films.

He's not perfect but he can make some quality flicks. It does seem he was the wrong person to take on this film though.

Yeah, a little disappointed. Perhaps I expected too much because I'm a big fan of the director and the two leads, but the film was just "good," not great. Once again, Michael Mann does bring a stunning sense of style to the film. I loved the look of the whole film, from the boat to air to just the fantastic scenes of someone getting killed (the ones that make you go "GOD DAMN!!!!"). However, the story kinda lost me a few times with too much going on and some jumping around, the pace is consistantly slow until the last twenty minutes, and for once, I was a bit irritated by Farrell. I didn't even think Gong Li was all that great. Certainly not as great as what we've heard in the earlier reviews. Jamie Foxx was the highlight of the cast, but unfortunately, not used enough. Overall, the film dragged in some scenes, the film lacked the action I expected, but there are a few awesome scenes in the film that make up for it, as well as the traditional Mann style. Once again, good, but not great.

B-ish.