Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4436 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-27
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 127 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bearing absolutely no resemblance to the 1980s TV series that helped to propel Michael Mann into big-time filmmaking, Miami Vice is the kind of serious, and seriously stylish, crime drama that Mann does better than anyone else. As written by Mann himself, this undercover sting thriller doesn't reach the peak intensity of Mann's 1995 classic Heat, and it lacks the tight, nail-biting suspense of Collateral, but that doesn't mean it doesn't occasionally pack a wallop. As Miami detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs (respectively), Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx don't have to do much but mumble their plot-thickening dialogue and look ultra-cool in the casual cop attire, and their partnership is rather lifeless on screen (perhaps owing to the fact that this was a troubled production, with an actual shooting that occurred during filming, and Foxx's refusal to risk his life on dangerous locations in South America). But once Mann shifts into high gear with a plot to foil a powerful drug kingpin (Luis Tosar) and his ruthless middle-man (John Ortiz), Vice pays off with the kind of smart, realistic action that Mann's fans have come to expect. With Chinese superstar Gong Li as Crockett's love interest on the wrong side of the law, Miami Vice covers territory that's a little too familiar, and one suspects Mann's screenplay might've been punched up with a polish or two. Still, this is an above-average crime thriller that demands and rewards close attention, with a climactic shoot-out that's pure Mann, worthy of the brooding drama that precedes it. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Miami Vice follows the violent adventures of Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx). With Miami at the centre of a global drug trade, their job of stopping illegal trafficking is hard and dangerous work, yet they are also rewarded with gorgeous girls and local celebrity. But their access to wealth, drugs, and power is tempting, and both men continually struggle with personal demons to stay on the right side of the law. In 1984, director Michael Mann made television--and fashion--history with his action-packed, neon-lit crime series, Miami Vice. The series was a hit for five years and became a cultural phenomenon. Now Mann, who has made quite a career for himself in Hollywood, with Oscar-nominated films including Ali, Heat and The Insider, updates his small-screen hit for the movie going public, crafting a sparkling, roller-coaster ride of a movie that is perfectly complemented by its bright colours and kinetic movement. From a frenetic opening scene at a nightclub to an undercover infiltration of a South American drug cartel, the action barely lets up. And when Crockett meets the irresistible Isabella (Chinese bombshell Gong Li), the mistress of hotshot drug dealer Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar), business mixes dangerously with pleasure, on dance floors and between sheets. As he did with the television show, Mann manages to make a guilty pleasure psychologically nuanced and politically charged--eye candy with depth. And despite the mesmerizing cinematography, the actors manage to be as striking as their surroundings, turning in strong, dynamic performances.

Customer Reviews

My arm in a vice
The actors almost make this film enjoyable.
Yet I just kept thinking that this movie was the humourless version of 'Bad Boys'

just okay
I had watched this film as a fan of Colin Farrell and having seen the original series. The lack of any titles at the beginning pulls you straight into the film which has an oppressive feel that the original series seemed to aim for but never quite captured. Farrell and Foxx are well cast (macho, yet sexy and stylish)in as much as anyone can be when you have the idea in your head of someone else in the role. The fight scenes do convey a sense of a struggle rather than being a showcase for the special effects team.

On the other hand... The sexy cocaine baron love interest is ridiculous. At one point its like a Bond film with Crockett hopping over to Cuba with her in a super powerful motorboat for mojitos - hardly gritty. Also I am sure there a handful of experienced Miami PD drug squad officers who understood what Crockett and Tubbs were on about - but I am sure they were the only ones. A little jargon makes for realism but I felt I needed a phrase book.

Its such a shame as this could have been a great update of the series. I am sure Mann could have done better.

Not worth the revisit
If this had been called anything other than Mimai Vice it would have sunk without a trace, as it is it sunk pretty well anyway. If you liked the TV series, then avoid this it has nothing of the original at all. It is gloss without depth. The 2 leads have the chemistry of 2 logs. The update doesnt work, the magic has gone. Miami Vice was 80s kitsch, the movie is nowhere man