Movie Reviews
Miami Vice 
Rated R, 2:13 (2006)
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Gong Li
Direction: Michael Mann
Production: Michael Mann
Screenplay: Michael Mann
by Vincent St. James
The Lowdown: Intense. Distinct. Visually-inspiring. Mesmerizing. Dark.
Style is substance
Miami Vice is an animal of its own, and director Michael Mann has truly created something unlike anything I have ever seen before. It has caught some negativity for apparently being too serious, confusing, and lacking in character. There have also been endless comparisons to the TV show of the same name and Michael Mann's masterpiece Heat. However, Miami Vice as a real film about the realities of undercover work is as serious as it ought to be; its plot is as convoluted as those in real life; and the film, though building on the style and feel of Heat and the show, is much darker and intense. In this way, it is a breath of fresh air, and has an artistic style that many viewers may not be (may never be?) ready to experience. The single biggest mistake anyone could make would be to compare this to Heat, Miami Vice the TV show, or Mann's Collateral.
The film wastes no time in getting to business, and most audiences will be thankful for it. What this means is that from the very, very first frame, the pace, mood and style is set up and barely lets up (save for some romantic elements). We are semi-introduced to undercover operatives Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) as they are in mid-assignment at a trendy South Beach night club. Quickly, however, a turn of events takes us to the focal point of the story involving a mission in which the two Miami PD detectives must go undercover to assist the feds in uncovering a mole. The mole is said to belong to any of the DEA, Feds, Miami FBI or more, and Rico and Sonny must get into the inner-world of South American and Caribbean drug-traffickers and money-launderers and...well, you get the point.
The film is so intensely paced that before long we find ourselves in the middle of a love affair between Crockett and Isabella (Gong Li), the leading lady and business partner of head villain Jesus Montoya. The affair has also caught the attention of ruthless villain Jose Yerro and Rico Tubbs. From there, the plot continues as Rico and Sonny do that cop thing with their undercover buddies and try to get the bad guys without getting killed.
The plot is not too original, but it doesn't need to be. The screenplay in this flick is indeed a close second to the visual style that Mann turns into such a force. There are some awe-inspiring visuals, mostly of South American hot spots (would have liked a little more Miami, but that's just me) but that's not all. The grainy, blue screen gives us a true sense of grit, of intensity. The atmosphere is almost smothering, and in many cases is the main reason why we are never bored. Furthermore, the script mirrors the realities of what is portrayed in the film. Real life detective work doesn't get resolved nice and cleanly according to a perfect script (I am not and have never been an undercover operative, so yes, I am going out on a limb with this conjecture). For this reason, I say Mann, perhaps unintenionally, has done well in constructing such an involved plot.
As with the screenplay, the acting naturally takes a step back as well. Though no performance is bad, the leads will not stand out, which may be negative to lots people, but oddly enough, not to me. There is little between Tubbs and Crockett in dialogue, and hence the lack of chemistry (upon a second viewing, I noticed more of a different kind of chemistry than we're used to in action films, i.e. the chemistry was better than I initially perceived). But that's ok. With the frame of mind that this is not the TV show, that problem ceases to exist. It doesn't take away from the point of the story which is to show the true, dangerous nature of their line of work.
Moreover, every character feeds off of the unique look and feel of the movie. This is especially true in the most memorable performance in the film, namely that of Gong Li. True, she seems at first glance to be terribly miscast, and it can be hard to understand her speech at times, but she benefits most from Mann's chosen style. Her words aren't terribly important, at least not as much as the idea of a poweful, seductive Asian women working with dangerous Latin American men, exerting just as much power as they do. That's an idea that she is able to bring to fruition. The other impressive performances of the film, though coming from supporting characters with limited screen time, include the ice-cold, frighteningly calm Luis Tosar as Montoya and the subtle but penetrating Barry Shabaka Henly as Lt. Martin Castillo. Also, John Ortiz is menacing as Jose Yerro, and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.
It is the mesmerizing quality of the film, its intense atmosphere stemming from Mann's commanding, and risky, artistic vision, which makes the oft-talked about sex scenes more sensual, the violence more riveting. This isn't traditional suspense (Collateral), wall-to-wall action, or incredible depth of characters (Heat). The violence will shake you to the core, but not for two straight hours. Mann does remind me though, and not subtly, why it is I don't do undercover, and never will.
I believe that this movie, in the longrun, will require multiple viewings at safe intervals to fully come to terms with it's complexity. I honestly also believe that Mann is on to something with this style, whether it will catch on or not. There were times when I was just glued to the seat, staring, wondering...just where is this world. Sure, you get the "it's a whole new world" feeling from movies like Star Wars or others starring pirates, but this world is dark, dangerous and authentic. It exists everywhere and nowhere, in Latin America, Holland, China, and of course, Miami. Heck, after a while I wouldn't have been surprised to see Tubbs or Crockett get killed --such is the world that Mann has created, where anything goes. His vision seems to already be polarizing audiences, but hey, I give Mann much credit for "taking it to the limit one more time."
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