Because of the fashion of the time and the color palette, the "Miami Vice" TV series that ran from 1984-1989 is considered kinda cheesy. The truth is, the show was groundbreaking in its day, and it was a lot darker than people realize. Sure, it had a few quirks, like the fact that the main character, "Sonny Crockett," had a pet alligator named Elvis, but "Miami Vice" was a gritty crime drama that just happened to be very hip, sexy, and stylish. Of course, it was all of those things in the 1980s, making it fodder for ridicule today. Because of that, when I heard that a feature film version was in the works, I expected a disaster. I figured it would either be a comedic version of the show making fun of the era (like with "Starsky & Hutch"), or worse, something that made fun of the show, totally disrespecting and pissing all over it ("The Dukes of Hazzard"). Fortunately, neither was the case. The "Miami Vice" feature film would be written and directed by one of the show's executive producers, Michael Mann, who also happens to be a tremendously talented filmmaker. Not only would the film be set in the present day, but it would be taken seriously. The "Miami Vice" feature film would be even darker than the TV series, and more importantly, it would be rated R. The end result? I loved it, though it's not perfect.
I think that the biggest complaints will be from fans of the original series. The movie is almost nothing like it. Yes, the title is the same, and so are the character names, but that's about it. It can be argued that the movie has a sexiness to it that's reminiscent of the TV show, but when it comes to the big picture, the movie and the series have very little in common. The thing is, that doesn't bother me that much. Then again, although I liked the show, I can't say that I was a hugely devoted follower. I did watch a lot of episodes, and I suppose it would have been nice if there were at least a few more similarities, but I'm not pissed that there weren't.
Most of "Miami Vice" (I'm referring to the movie here) was shot on location, here in my hometown of Miami. I have to admit that I get a kick out of seeing places that are familiar to me on the big screen; roads I've been on, buildings I've worked in. There have been a lot of movies shot here, especially recently, with "2 Fast 2 Furious" and "Bad Boys II," but I've never seen Miami represented as accurately as it's represented in "Miami Vice." I actually heard Creole! There are a lot of Haitians in Miami, and I'd say that most of them speak their native language, which is Creole (they also tend to speak two or three other languages). I remember when I watched "2 Fast 2 Furious," and there was this one scene in Little Haiti, and the Haitian characters had Jamaican accents. I liked "2 Fast 2 Furious," but that annoyed me. I know plenty of Haitians, and trust me when I tell you, they don't have Jamaican accents.
The cast of "Miami Vice" is great, everyone does an excellent job. The roles of "Sonny Crockett" and "Rico Tubbs" (made famous by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the 80s) are played by Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. They pretty much make the characters their own, and that's fine. They both have great chemistry, and they make believable bad asses. Watching this movie, you almost completely forget that Jamie Foxx is a comedian. Edward James Olmos played "Lt. Castillo" in the TV series, and he was very powerful in the role. For the movie, the role is played by Barry Shabaka Henley, who's a great actor, and despite not being in the movie very much, he's really good in the role, but I really would have liked to have seen Edward James Olmos reprise the role. Supposedly, he was made an offer, but he turned it down.
Two smaller characters from the show, "Trudy Joplin" and "Gina Calabrese" (originally played by Olivia Brown and Saundra Santiago), appear in the film, and they're played by Naomie Harris and Elizabeth Rodriguez. They're both very good, and they're both really hot. Another actress who's really hot is Gong Li. She plays a character named "Isabella," who works for the main drug dealer in the film. I've never seen Gong Li before (though I know she was in "Farewell My Concubine" and "Memoirs of a Geisha"), but she's gorgeous. Her accent makes it a little difficult to understand her, but that's okay.
Michael Mann knows how to make movies. His directing credits include "Collateral," "Ali," "The Insider," "Heat," and "The Last of the Mohicans," just to name a few. "Miami Vice" may not be his best film, but it's a worthy addition to his already impressive list of films. By the way, a lot of people seem to think that Michael Mann created the "Miami Vice" TV series, but he didn't. He was an executive producer, but he wasn't the creator. The original TV series was created by Anthony Yerkovich, who was previously a writer for the TV series, "Hill Street Blues."
Although I don't wanna give away any spoilers, I have to mention the two moments in the film that I loved the most. One is when the character "Gina Calabrese" has a gun pointed at a bad guy. She gives a little speech, the kind you hear in movies all the time. That sounds like a criticism, but it's not. What happens after the speech is what made me love that part. Brilliant. The second moment occurs after a big explosion. Shortly after the explosion, you see why "Crockett" and "Tubbs" are such perfect partners. They say nothing to each other, they don't even make eye contact, but they both know exactly what they need to do, they each know what the other needs to do, and they do it. I know I'm being vague, but if you see the movie, you'll know what I mean.
I really liked "Miami Vice." It entertained me from beginning to end, but fans of the old TV show will be disappointed that practically nothing in the film is like the TV series other than the title and the character names. Also, the movie shouldn't be called "Miami Vice," because the characters don't work for the City of Miami Police Department, they work for the Miami-Dade Police Department (for those of you who don't live in South Florida, Miami is the city, Miami-Dade is the county). Okay, that's nitpicking, but aside from that, the gritty dialogue seemed a little forced, and the romance between Colin Farrell and Gong Li wasn't entirely convincing. Still, there's a whole lot in "Miami Vice" to like, and even though it's unlikely to happen (based on box office figures), I really hope that there's a sequel.
Scale of 1-10: 9