Review of Miami Vice (2006) by Matt R — 25 Jun 2010

Far from Michael Mann's best film (which is still "The Insider"), MIAMI VICE is definitely better than I'd been told it was. It looks gorgeous, of course, because it was shot by Mann. The plot was... not bad. For what little he was given, Jamie Foxx was good, Luis Tosar as the main baddie was really good, and Colin Farrell didn't annoy me as much as he usually did.

It looks wonderful, but I didn't CARE about ANYBODY. The film should have lost at least half an hour of weight by excising the entire un-believable "love affair" : if she stepped into a paper bag and was then drenched with three hundred gallons of water, Li Gong would still not be able to act her way out, and even if she was decent, the sequences were pointless because the way they were written, I DIDN'T CARE!

The film ended far too abruptly and it would have been nice to see a finale where the first bust we see (which is never concluded) gets wrapped up, since they allude to getting the guy "someday." And Mann is too smart to try a sequel to this.

Overall: if you want to, watch it for some great lighting, gorgeous scenery and incredible shots. Turn the sound down and play the audio track from HEAT instead.