Director Michael Mann is one of the first rate action directors around. In trying to revamp the 1980s TV series he produced, Mann creates a gritty procedural, which captures our minds with its attention to detail.
The film kicks off with undercover Miami detectives James “Sonny” Crockett (Colin Farrell, PHONE BOOTH) and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Jamie Foxx, COLLATERAL) on a case at a club where human trafficking is taking place. Then Sonny gets a frantic call from an informant named Alonzo Stevens (John Hawkes, ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW). Turns out a leak in the FBI has led to Alonzo being forced to sell out his partners to save girlfriend. FBI agent Fujima (Ciaran Hinds, MUNICH) recruits Sonny and Rico to find the leak while trying to take down drug dealer Jose Yero (John Ortiz, NARC). Yero is actually only the middleman for top dealer Arcangel de Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar, TAKE MY EYES), who has his money laundered by his beautiful Chinese girlfriend, Isabella (Gong Li, FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE). Sonny and Rico uses contact Nicholas (Eddie Marsan, THE NEW WORLD) to get to Yero posing as drug transporters. The detectives’ team is made up of Rico’s girl Trudy Joplin (Naomie Harris, TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY), Gina Calabrese (Elizabeth Rodriguez, TV’s E.R.), Larry Zito (Justin Theroux, TV’s SIX FEET UNDER) and Stan Switek (Domenick Lombardozzi, TV’s THE WIRE).
There are action sequences in the film, but for the most part the excitement comes from the mind games. Sonny and Rico’s first meeting with Yero is a wonderfully written scene. The cops really have to think on their feet to stay alive. I also liked how Yero is extremely skeptical; it’s nice to see a villain like him be so smart. As the plot develops both Sonny and Rico will be hit at their most vulnerable spots — Rico with Trudy and Sonny with Isabella. The latter relationship is surprisingly plausible considering who the two characters are. In most films, this relationship would feel really forced, but Mann plays it as part of the mission. The human trafficking plotline at the start also gives Isabella additional motivations. And in the end, when all secrets are revealed, the story stays true to the characters.
The film version has little similarities to the original TV series. This is a Michael Mann film not a kitschy ‘80s TV drama. The action is smart and intense with a raw natural quality. Sonny and Rico are nothing like the TV series. Here, they are weary undercover officers who are getting tired of how their job affects their lives. All in all, I found the film a compelling and intriguing look at drug trafficking from the point of view of the actual transportation methods. Actually, it’s a shame that it’s even called MIAMI VICE.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
