The sole problem I had with this movie is that it attempted to recreate the dynamic of the Crocket/Tubbs partnership. Yes, I realize Jamie Foxx was the hotter commodity for Hollywood when this movie was made, but it spat in the eye of the TV series it was created to emulate. The movie had the Flash, but it lacked the bang of the series. It drags down the middle and doesn't keep up the intensity of the series. Honestly, I felt as if the writers of this movie never watched the series and only were running on Youtube promo education videos to make the film. There was no 80s vibe at all. No excess neon. No excess blue/pink colors. Finally, there was no 80s style of dress. Too many grays and dark atmospheres. Even the cars were blandly colored. The movie lost that generational feel, while still asking for the Gen Xers to embrace the effort. Change the name of the title and you have another Hollywood loser. Sorry Colin Farrell, you are no Sonny Crocket and Jamie Foxx, you are also no Detective Tubbs.
I was a huge fan of the original series - used to watch it live, tape it to VCR and record the audio highlights of my favorite episodes to be interludes on my mixtapes. So, I was excited for this remake. I gotta say after watching this again today, it's a let down for me. I liked the casting of Crocket and Tubbs, but the rest of the cast was bleh. The music of the show in the 80s was a huge part of charm and attraction of the show, but it's a huge miss here (aside for maybe the remake of "In the Air Tonight"). The story seemed a bit lethargic at times - this didn't need to be a 2 hour movie.
Although this wasn't horrible, and was a good watch, I don't feel that it played enough homage to what made the series great. I'd rather re-watch the series all over again than watch this a second time.
For the most part I had no fucking clue what was going on, because I was too dizzy from all the shaky cam and weird zoom-ins. Granted there are a couple of cool shots, but they can't make up for all of the unnecessary sex scenes, the macho nonsense and - most of all - Colin Farrell's hair.
This could of been great but it's not.
I completely understand why they could not just do a complete retread of the 80's TV show and make it into a good movie. I do not understand why anyone would think that this was a viable option as an update. Colin Farrel was awful. His mullet was the most entertaining thing in this movie. The story was paper thin. The special effects were not up to par. It's called Miami Vice and only about a third of the movie takes place in Miami? I just don't get it. This was horrible.
I completely understand why they could not just do a complete retread of the 80's TV show and make it into a good movie. I do not understand why anyone would think that this was a viable option as an update. Colin Farrel was awful. His mullet was the most entertaining thing in this movie. The story was paper thin. The special effects were not up to par. It's called Miami Vice and only about a third of the movie takes place in Miami? I just don't get it. This was horrible.
When I first watched this at its release, I had it as an OK 6/10. Upon re-watching though, I really liked a lot of it. The casting is great, you even get used to Farrell's mullet after a while. It still looks and sounds great, good music and solid story.
Better than the theatrical release I saw at the cinema and disliked immensely.
I recall disliking it because it had none of the immense charm and style of the original show. The directors cut fixes some of the style issues but there's no saving the charm.
This isn't without its positives. It has a lot of the Mann style and that's fantastic. It's a no nonsense approach to direction and it has a crazy amount of location shooting that mean it must have been an absolutely huge budget.
But there are significant problems.
The casting isn't great. A lot of dodgy acting and overly-earnest characters don't give the film much heart. The best character was the Lieutenant and he wasn't a barrel of laughs. I think Farrell was miscast and the mullet was a distractingly poor decision.
Moreover we have the Collateral issue again - digital cameras with no filter that make everything look like a home video. It comes and goes depending on shots and it really pulls you in and out. My only saving grace is that this tech wasn't viable when Mann made Heat so I am incredibly grateful he never ruined one of the finest films ever made!
In conclusion, the unrated cut is better. It lifts a poor movie into a decent watch but nothing to rave about.
7/10
Great story, amazing visual style, and good acting.
Why did I wait 14 freakin' years to watch this one?!?
I'm not going to drag this out. Miami Vice is brilliant!!! If you've been stupid like me...Go watch it!!!
...and btw...I'm pretty sure Gong Li is one of the better things to ever come out of China.
Holy shit, this is literally a perfect movie just as the series was a perfect TV show. Miami Vice (2006) is the film we always deserved, even if we got it so many years later that we couldn't have the original cast. Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell do a perfect job of stepping into two iconic roles, and I don't even particularly care for Farrell, but he is absolutely magnificent here. True to Miami Vice we get an extremely dark and gritty film filled with gorgeous sets, fast cars and boats, big guns, and great music. The entire film is perfection in every single aspect, but the scenes from the moment they invade the trailer park until the end of the climactic gun fight is some of the best filmmaking ever put on screen. The film is packed full of tension and aesthetic. You can tell this film is set in modern times (mid 2000s), however it manages to maintain a strong 80s vibe without feeling too nostalgia gimmicky. It just feels right. It's one of my favorite movies of all time and probably always will be. 10 stars on a scale of 5. It's just too bad we never got a second film, but at this point it's most certainly too late. Too bad...
Being from Michael Mann, the director of Thief, Heat and Collateral, Miami Vice should have been amazing. For one, it has the weakest and most distractive camera work of any of his movies. Or any movie I have seen really.
The movie is like it is shot by an amateur and not the great Michael Mann. I binged the show to get ready for the movie. Which made the movie more of a letdown as well.
Foxx and Farrell try their best but they just are Crockett and Tubbs. The movie isn’t enough like the show. If it wasn’t enough like that it could have at least been more like the movie Heat.
Watched the Unrated Director's Edition.
Growing up in Florida, Miami Vice was must see TV in the 80s. This time around Michael Mann used plot devices and story line from a couple of his better episodes of the show. I didn't know what to expect and I know many don't like it but I think it's a good movie which I've watched several times.
Miami Vice features a stylish way to cover up a mediocre plot! The thing that sets "Miami Vice" apart is the portrayal of criminals as "normal people" (Isabelle) and the cops as borderline criminals. All in a enjoyable action flick, but nothing more...
i only watched it for the Ferrari.
Shout by digishieldVIP 6BlockedParent2021-12-13T15:58:25Z
Don't be fooled. Miami Vice is mostly a romantic film. Everything around it is just scenery. But superbly shot. All enhanced by a perfect soundtrack and Michael Mann's raw visual style. I could watch it over and over again and never get enough. Everyone is looking for something different in movies. I found mine every time. That's why the maximum rating.