Miami Vice

Michael Mann seems most at home at night. His night sequences are stunningly vibrant and powerful enviroments. Unfortunately Mann often gets caught up in the settings, and soundtrack. Miami Vice is a great example. While Mann has set up a story which is suitable, what prevents this movie from being a classic of action cinema is the way in which the locations and soundscapes take center stage. Ok, some of the acting wasn’t very good at all, but it is an action movie. As a result the movie has the feel of a 133 minute music video. This sounds cool in principle but Miami vice isn’t a music video, or a musical. Nor is it an amazing piece of cinematography. As a result the pull away from its core gives the movie a hollow and sometimes disjuncted feel.

The character development is the main victim of this. We neither feel sympathy, connection, nor awe for either Rico(Jamie Foxx), or Sonny (Colin Farrell). Of course Colin Farrell’s acting doesn’t help the audience connect with Sonny, who at then end of the movie winds up little better then a sociopath at the end of the movie. Jamie Fox’s character on the other hand lack would lack the same emotional dynamic if not for a contrived plot twist which doesn’t work, and Jamie Foxx’s acting abilities, which while not phenomenal are present.

This movie is a minimal action movie. It lacks the plot or suspense to carry it successfully as a drama, and the action is actually fairly minimal, limited to a few brief flashes, and a cool gunfight at the end. Basically we get to watch Jamie Fox and Colin Farrell be cool, have sex, and smuggle drugs. That’s it. Save your money.