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I'm only somewhat familiar with the original Miami Vice TV series - the pastel-coloured shirts, the slicked-back hair, and the quintessential coolness of it is the mass of my knowledge. I know that it was a cultural phenomenon in the mid-to-late 80s, and so was pretty intruiged when I heard it was being made into a film.
Michael Mann, who created the original, takes the director's helm, and so I was fairly confident the film would be an excellent one (given his previous track record). Reviews were mixed, and Internet buzz reported the film to be a mere shadow of Mann's former work. Nevertheless, I saw the film earlier this evening, and at least in my view, the critics were on the button for one of few instances.
Let's start with the pros, and I'll keep this largely spoiler-free. The film starts with no opening credits, text, or graphics, just BAM and you're in the nightclub. I liked this, it seemed somewhat original, and helped maintain pacing.
The style was very "cool" for the most part, and although I've only seen clips in passing of the original series, it did have that 80s feel. Still, plenty of people were upset that neither the Miami Vice theme, nor "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins from the TV series appeared.
The use of shooting digital was used to great effect as in Collateral. I don't think I've seen a cinema print look so crisp at times - the various shots of white cars pulling along and driving near the start looked lovely. It was a nice contrast to the grainier scenes later on, also.
The violence was a surprise, aswell. I think the trailer made it look like a balls-to-the-walls action film, in similar ilk to Bad Boys 2, but this isn't the case. It's a dialogue-driven film with fairly infrequent, but strong violence. Most films, even those rated 15 (or 18), won't show a headshot. This film had 2 in close range, and a rather graphic shot of a character being blown against a door by a shotgun, and blood splattering everywhere. I'm surprised the film wasn't an 18, but I guess the distinct lack of strong language (there was only the odd expletive thrown about here and there) and strong sexual content cancelled this out (the sexual scenes were largely inoffensive and inexplicit).
Now, onto the cons. Whilst it had a great 80s vibe, I don't think this resonates particularly well in the 00s, and I don't think the audience seeing this film (other than those who saw it out of their love for the original) will perhaps appreciate this.
There were many moments that I found comedic when I don't think they were meant to be - e.g. a man getting hit by a lorry, but rather than showing us this, we merely see the lorry brake slightly, and a long smear of blood trail behind the lorry. I quietly chuckled, as it seemed rather cartoony to me, and not what I'd come to expect from Mann at all.
The directing bothered me, particularly as Michael Mann is regarded as a very competent director by most. I usually love Mann's direction, but this was very clunky. I don't mind handheld work, but it almost seemed as though the camera was being shook violently for no reason at all. That, or the cameraman had an epileptic fit on their crucial take.
The Asian actress in this was diabolical. She had a terrible accent, and half the time I couldn't understand what the hell she was saying. Subtitles would've been a massive help.
The character development was poor. Perhaps Mann tried to develop characters through therir relationships with the women in their lives, but I really didn't care at all about the characters involved. There was virtually no investment whatsoever, and given how revered Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were in their roles, this was hugely to the detriment of the this film.
The plot wasn't that great. Rather than build things up, it "just did" them, and I didn't think they really garnered a reaction at all, at least not from me.
So many bits from the trailer were cut, here. I hate it when films do this, and so many shots and soundbytes were nowhere to be seen.
There's a distinct lack of action. The action scenes totalled at the most 20 minutes, and considering the film ran over 2 hours, that really isn't much. Don't get me wrong - I love dialogue-driven films, but this film had overly long scenes where not much happened, and was crying out for a shootout. When we finally get a decent shootout at the end, half the shots are shaky as hell.
It barely scrapes a 7/10 from me. Given how many great films Michael Mann has made (Heat, Manhunter, Last of the Mohicans, and Collateral, which is one of my favourite films ever), and given how he created the original TV series of Miami Vice, I expected bigger and better things. The 6.3 IMDB rating did worry me somewhat, and I agree with people who've said this isn't typical Michael Mann. Apparently he recieved pressure to cut 15-to-20 minutes from the film, and was still editing the film last week, but I feel the weakness isn't so much in what was left out, but what Mann put in.
I don't really have any intention to see this film again, and you're not missing anything special if you decide not to see it, in my opinion. I just hope that amidst rumours of a Miami Vice sequel, that Mann instead throws his energy into retrieving his old spark and creating yet more films on par with his previous efforts.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer.
Michael Mann, who created the original, takes the director's helm, and so I was fairly confident the film would be an excellent one (given his previous track record). Reviews were mixed, and Internet buzz reported the film to be a mere shadow of Mann's former work. Nevertheless, I saw the film earlier this evening, and at least in my view, the critics were on the button for one of few instances.
Let's start with the pros, and I'll keep this largely spoiler-free. The film starts with no opening credits, text, or graphics, just BAM and you're in the nightclub. I liked this, it seemed somewhat original, and helped maintain pacing.
The style was very "cool" for the most part, and although I've only seen clips in passing of the original series, it did have that 80s feel. Still, plenty of people were upset that neither the Miami Vice theme, nor "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins from the TV series appeared.
The use of shooting digital was used to great effect as in Collateral. I don't think I've seen a cinema print look so crisp at times - the various shots of white cars pulling along and driving near the start looked lovely. It was a nice contrast to the grainier scenes later on, also.
The violence was a surprise, aswell. I think the trailer made it look like a balls-to-the-walls action film, in similar ilk to Bad Boys 2, but this isn't the case. It's a dialogue-driven film with fairly infrequent, but strong violence. Most films, even those rated 15 (or 18), won't show a headshot. This film had 2 in close range, and a rather graphic shot of a character being blown against a door by a shotgun, and blood splattering everywhere. I'm surprised the film wasn't an 18, but I guess the distinct lack of strong language (there was only the odd expletive thrown about here and there) and strong sexual content cancelled this out (the sexual scenes were largely inoffensive and inexplicit).
Now, onto the cons. Whilst it had a great 80s vibe, I don't think this resonates particularly well in the 00s, and I don't think the audience seeing this film (other than those who saw it out of their love for the original) will perhaps appreciate this.
There were many moments that I found comedic when I don't think they were meant to be - e.g. a man getting hit by a lorry, but rather than showing us this, we merely see the lorry brake slightly, and a long smear of blood trail behind the lorry. I quietly chuckled, as it seemed rather cartoony to me, and not what I'd come to expect from Mann at all.
The directing bothered me, particularly as Michael Mann is regarded as a very competent director by most. I usually love Mann's direction, but this was very clunky. I don't mind handheld work, but it almost seemed as though the camera was being shook violently for no reason at all. That, or the cameraman had an epileptic fit on their crucial take.
The Asian actress in this was diabolical. She had a terrible accent, and half the time I couldn't understand what the hell she was saying. Subtitles would've been a massive help.
The character development was poor. Perhaps Mann tried to develop characters through therir relationships with the women in their lives, but I really didn't care at all about the characters involved. There was virtually no investment whatsoever, and given how revered Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were in their roles, this was hugely to the detriment of the this film.
The plot wasn't that great. Rather than build things up, it "just did" them, and I didn't think they really garnered a reaction at all, at least not from me.
So many bits from the trailer were cut, here. I hate it when films do this, and so many shots and soundbytes were nowhere to be seen.
There's a distinct lack of action. The action scenes totalled at the most 20 minutes, and considering the film ran over 2 hours, that really isn't much. Don't get me wrong - I love dialogue-driven films, but this film had overly long scenes where not much happened, and was crying out for a shootout. When we finally get a decent shootout at the end, half the shots are shaky as hell.
It barely scrapes a 7/10 from me. Given how many great films Michael Mann has made (Heat, Manhunter, Last of the Mohicans, and Collateral, which is one of my favourite films ever), and given how he created the original TV series of Miami Vice, I expected bigger and better things. The 6.3 IMDB rating did worry me somewhat, and I agree with people who've said this isn't typical Michael Mann. Apparently he recieved pressure to cut 15-to-20 minutes from the film, and was still editing the film last week, but I feel the weakness isn't so much in what was left out, but what Mann put in.
I don't really have any intention to see this film again, and you're not missing anything special if you decide not to see it, in my opinion. I just hope that amidst rumours of a Miami Vice sequel, that Mann instead throws his energy into retrieving his old spark and creating yet more films on par with his previous efforts.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer.
Well, I'd have to agree with pretty much everything you said. It certainly wasn't up to Mann's usual standard, and it felt very lazily done in parts. The complete lack of character development seriously damaged the movie as well.
I give 6/10. It would score less if it wasn't for the one great action scene.
I give 6/10. It would score less if it wasn't for the one great action scene.
I was going to see it tonight, but after reading your review thought better of it.
I'm going to see it tonight. I can't wait...
I'm only somewhat familiar with the original Miami Vice TV series - the pastel-coloured shirts, the slicked-back hair, and the quintessential coolness of it is the mass of my knowledge. I know that it was a cultural phenomenon in the mid-to-late 80s, and so was pretty intruiged when I heard it was being made into a film.
Michael Mann, who created the original, takes the director's helm, and so I was fairly confident the film would be an excellent one (given his previous track record). Reviews were mixed, and Internet buzz reported the film to be a mere shadow of Mann's former work. Nevertheless, I saw the film earlier this evening, and at least in my view, the critics were on the button for one of few instances.
Let's start with the pros, and I'll keep this largely spoiler-free. The film starts with no opening credits, text, or graphics, just BAM and you're in the nightclub. I liked this, it seemed somewhat original, and helped maintain pacing.
The style was very "cool" for the most part, and although I've only seen clips in passing of the original series, it did have that 80s feel. Still, plenty of people were upset that neither the Miami Vice theme, nor "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins from the TV series appeared.
The use of shooting digital was used to great effect as in Collateral. I don't think I've seen a cinema print look so crisp at times - the various shots of white cars pulling along and driving near the start looked lovely. It was a nice contrast to the grainier scenes later on, also.
The violence was a surprise, aswell. I think the trailer made it look like a balls-to-the-walls action film, in similar ilk to Bad Boys 2, but this isn't the case. It's a dialogue-driven film with fairly infrequent, but strong violence. Most films, even those rated 15 (or 18), won't show a headshot. This film had 2 in close range, and a rather graphic shot of a character being blown against a door by a shotgun, and blood splattering everywhere. I'm surprised the film wasn't an 18, but I guess the distinct lack of strong language (there was only the odd expletive thrown about here and there) and strong sexual content cancelled this out (the sexual scenes were largely inoffensive and inexplicit).
Now, onto the cons. Whilst it had a great 80s vibe, I don't think this resonates particularly well in the 00s, and I don't think the audience seeing this film (other than those who saw it out of their love for the original) will perhaps appreciate this.
There were many moments that I found comedic when I don't think they were meant to be - e.g. a man getting hit by a lorry, but rather than showing us this, we merely see the lorry brake slightly, and a long smear of blood trail behind the lorry. I quietly chuckled, as it seemed rather cartoony to me, and not what I'd come to expect from Mann at all.
The directing bothered me, particularly as Michael Mann is regarded as a very competent director by most. I usually love Mann's direction, but this was very clunky. I don't mind handheld work, but it almost seemed as though the camera was being shook violently for no reason at all. That, or the cameraman had an epileptic fit on their crucial take.
The Asian actress in this was diabolical. She had a terrible accent, and half the time I couldn't understand what the hell she was saying. Subtitles would've been a massive help.
The character development was poor. Perhaps Mann tried to develop characters through therir relationships with the women in their lives, but I really didn't care at all about the characters involved. There was virtually no investment whatsoever, and given how revered Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were in their roles, this was hugely to the detriment of the this film.
The plot wasn't that great. Rather than build things up, it "just did" them, and I didn't think they really garnered a reaction at all, at least not from me.
So many bits from the trailer were cut, here. I hate it when films do this, and so many shots and soundbytes were nowhere to be seen.
There's a distinct lack of action. The action scenes totalled at the most 20 minutes, and considering the film ran over 2 hours, that really isn't much. Don't get me wrong - I love dialogue-driven films, but this film had overly long scenes where not much happened, and was crying out for a shootout. When we finally get a decent shootout at the end, half the shots are shaky as hell.
It barely scrapes a 7/10 from me. Given how many great films Michael Mann has made (Heat, Manhunter, Last of the Mohicans, and Collateral, which is one of my favourite films ever), and given how he created the original TV series of Miami Vice, I expected bigger and better things. The 6.3 IMDB rating did worry me somewhat, and I agree with people who've said this isn't typical Michael Mann. Apparently he recieved pressure to cut 15-to-20 minutes from the film, and was still editing the film last week, but I feel the weakness isn't so much in what was left out, but what Mann put in.
I don't really have any intention to see this film again, and you're not missing anything special if you decide not to see it, in my opinion. I just hope that amidst rumours of a Miami Vice sequel, that Mann instead throws his energy into retrieving his old spark and creating yet more films on par with his previous efforts.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer.
Michael Mann, who created the original, takes the director's helm, and so I was fairly confident the film would be an excellent one (given his previous track record). Reviews were mixed, and Internet buzz reported the film to be a mere shadow of Mann's former work. Nevertheless, I saw the film earlier this evening, and at least in my view, the critics were on the button for one of few instances.
Let's start with the pros, and I'll keep this largely spoiler-free. The film starts with no opening credits, text, or graphics, just BAM and you're in the nightclub. I liked this, it seemed somewhat original, and helped maintain pacing.
The style was very "cool" for the most part, and although I've only seen clips in passing of the original series, it did have that 80s feel. Still, plenty of people were upset that neither the Miami Vice theme, nor "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins from the TV series appeared.
The use of shooting digital was used to great effect as in Collateral. I don't think I've seen a cinema print look so crisp at times - the various shots of white cars pulling along and driving near the start looked lovely. It was a nice contrast to the grainier scenes later on, also.
The violence was a surprise, aswell. I think the trailer made it look like a balls-to-the-walls action film, in similar ilk to Bad Boys 2, but this isn't the case. It's a dialogue-driven film with fairly infrequent, but strong violence. Most films, even those rated 15 (or 18), won't show a headshot. This film had 2 in close range, and a rather graphic shot of a character being blown against a door by a shotgun, and blood splattering everywhere. I'm surprised the film wasn't an 18, but I guess the distinct lack of strong language (there was only the odd expletive thrown about here and there) and strong sexual content cancelled this out (the sexual scenes were largely inoffensive and inexplicit).
Now, onto the cons. Whilst it had a great 80s vibe, I don't think this resonates particularly well in the 00s, and I don't think the audience seeing this film (other than those who saw it out of their love for the original) will perhaps appreciate this.
There were many moments that I found comedic when I don't think they were meant to be - e.g. a man getting hit by a lorry, but rather than showing us this, we merely see the lorry brake slightly, and a long smear of blood trail behind the lorry. I quietly chuckled, as it seemed rather cartoony to me, and not what I'd come to expect from Mann at all.
The directing bothered me, particularly as Michael Mann is regarded as a very competent director by most. I usually love Mann's direction, but this was very clunky. I don't mind handheld work, but it almost seemed as though the camera was being shook violently for no reason at all. That, or the cameraman had an epileptic fit on their crucial take.
The Asian actress in this was diabolical. She had a terrible accent, and half the time I couldn't understand what the hell she was saying. Subtitles would've been a massive help.
The character development was poor. Perhaps Mann tried to develop characters through therir relationships with the women in their lives, but I really didn't care at all about the characters involved. There was virtually no investment whatsoever, and given how revered Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were in their roles, this was hugely to the detriment of the this film.
The plot wasn't that great. Rather than build things up, it "just did" them, and I didn't think they really garnered a reaction at all, at least not from me.
So many bits from the trailer were cut, here. I hate it when films do this, and so many shots and soundbytes were nowhere to be seen.
There's a distinct lack of action. The action scenes totalled at the most 20 minutes, and considering the film ran over 2 hours, that really isn't much. Don't get me wrong - I love dialogue-driven films, but this film had overly long scenes where not much happened, and was crying out for a shootout. When we finally get a decent shootout at the end, half the shots are shaky as hell.
It barely scrapes a 7/10 from me. Given how many great films Michael Mann has made (Heat, Manhunter, Last of the Mohicans, and Collateral, which is one of my favourite films ever), and given how he created the original TV series of Miami Vice, I expected bigger and better things. The 6.3 IMDB rating did worry me somewhat, and I agree with people who've said this isn't typical Michael Mann. Apparently he recieved pressure to cut 15-to-20 minutes from the film, and was still editing the film last week, but I feel the weakness isn't so much in what was left out, but what Mann put in.
I don't really have any intention to see this film again, and you're not missing anything special if you decide not to see it, in my opinion. I just hope that amidst rumours of a Miami Vice sequel, that Mann instead throws his energy into retrieving his old spark and creating yet more films on par with his previous efforts.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer.