Review of Miami Vice (2006) by Kevin N — 21 Apr 2009

This is a case of expert technical direction gone Hollywood-soft. There are definate highs and lows to the film, the main high being the careful precision Mann brings to his action sequences and the main low being the way the actors are milked for sentiment they do not have.

The film is pretty long, and this is due mostly because of MTV-style shower scenes, but the gritty ending makes a full watch mandatory. The end shootout is shot beautifully on digital film, and the sound design is one of the best I've heard in a modern shoot-em-up; when a gun is fired, you feel the vibrations in your teeth.

The intensity of the last half-hour is what cop movies are all about, and it's refreshing to know that Mann at least had his heart in the right place.