Jul 05 2009
Review: Miami Vice
Miami Vice is probably the coolest dumb movie of all time. For about an hour and ten minutes of its running time, it looks and feels so. . .cool. . .that you don’t realize how incredibly empty it is. And for a movie that excels in being so incredibly loud, Miami Vice is probably the most indecipherable movie in the history of man. Every character poses. . .that’s for sure. . .but when they talk it always sounds like ’sdfrtugugu kill ggfhgurttt his time fsdofhsur gun E H fsddfes fhsdhfiusgh mohito’. The dialogue and plot make absolutely NO SENSE but it is just too damn cool to be entirely condemned.
The movie had potential for sure. The first ten minutes of the film is, arguably, some of the most exciting, ‘cool’ stuff ever filmed. Our heroes Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) are working the Miami beat with their little crew and are trying to bust a prostitution ring. They’re doing this, of course, first in the ocean driving incredible looking boats and then at an elite Miami nightclub with excellent music, great outfits and some heart pounding hand to hand combat amidst the sweaty dancers. This is AWESOME. If the entire movie was actually about Miami police work in this fashion, Miami Vice could be one of the greatest films of all time (if not entirely original).
But during the bust, Crockett gets a call from a former informant whose on the run. Crockett and Tubbs don’t know what’s going on because they haven’t spoken to this guy in six months. Now the two cops are ‘outed’ for an FBI investigation they know nothing about. Now, apparently, the stakes have risen. The FBI fucked up a deal and now they want Crockett and Tubbs, who are, mind you, JUST COPS to infiltrate first a white supremacist gang that ultimately leads to massive heavy hitting drug dealers in Columbia and Uruguay with connections in China.
But why?, you ask. They’re just Miami police officers. . .right? Well, apparently Crockett and Tubbs are international men of mystery. They can fly planes, operate any gun, utilize stealth technology, know the ins and outs of not only worldwide crime organizations but every working facet of DEA, FBI, and CIA operations. Plus, on such a small salary, they own multiple houses, wear designer clothes and drive the most expensive cars and boats on the market. These guys are invincible. . .so they are perfect for the undercover work.
The undercover work involves buying or selling drugs to some people who will lead them to other people. . .I think. There is some mid-level importer/exporter whose a little on edge, a few Nazi dudes running around and an Asian crime boss who works alongside the big cheese who works from a Tahoe somewhere in. . .South America. . .I guess. Seriously. . .this movie doesn’t make one lick of sense and at one point, when not hypnotized by the amazing cinematography and the just-perfect poses of each cast member (that fits perfectly in frame with their lush backgrounds) I realized the movie really has no purpose.
Like I said, the ‘coolness’ will help you maintain interest for an hour and twenty minutes before your brain comes back to reality. Still, though, the ‘idea’ of what you’re seeing will keep you going. Everything technical is top notch here. . .especially on Blu-Ray. If a scene of unintelligible dialogue is getting a little dry, the movie will cut to Jamie Foxx talking to a Colombian guy in the backyard of a mansion overlooking the ocean or the movie will cut to Colin Farrell and Gong Li dancing in Havana.
Speaking of Gong Li. . .wow, that was a bad idea. Li was so incredible in Memoirs of a Geisha that I am dumbfounded by how shockingly awful she is in Miami Vice. When chemistry doesn’t exist between two characters, and in this case it is Crockett and Li who become lovers in the film, it usually shows in the believability department. Usually you just don’t ‘feel’ a couple. But in Miami Vice’s case, Gong Li is trying to do things acting wise with Farrell that he is desperately trying to avoid. She can’t act. . .period. . .in this movie and she looks like a confused Nova from Planet of the Apes trying to get Farrell’s attention. Farrell, bless his heart, is trying to do ’something’ with his character and Li is literally trying to disrupt his work. Look at any of the dancing scenes, for example, when Gong Li attempts to kiss Farrell about twelve times and he isn’t even paying attention, doing something completely different character wise.
I remember seeing Miami Vice in the theater. It had one of the coolest trailers ever so I had to see it opening night. My friends and I ‘liked’ it and thought it was generally awesome but the desire to see them working Miami and not South American countries was definitely more appealing. The production of Miami Vice was a disaster and the film was so over-budget and barely profitable that I doubt a sequel or remake will ever come about. But while Miami Vice gets a A+ for effort and an A+++ for looking cool, the movie gets a plain old D for dumb everywhere else. And that is, in the end, a true shame; an opportunity missed.
,
You stab yourself in the foot from the very beginning when you mentioned how ‘cool’ the movie looks and in the next breath commented how incomprehensible the dialogue is. And your review died a death ignoramus the instant you criticised Gong Li’s performance.
I would like to… suggest that perhaps, with the intelligence of Michael Mann and Gong Li, they do know what they are doing? That some movies are so unexpected and subtle in is textual layers (no matter how explosive the visuals are) there would be those in the audience that simply… can’t catch up.
Perhaps subsequent viewings are needed? And long periods of contemplation?
Haha. . .okay. I love Miami Vice so no need to contemplate on it more then necessary. It has it’s immense flaws and it has immense successes. The dialogue is without a doubt incomprehensible and that’s fine. I found it charming and hilarious and added to my enjoyment.
As for Gong Li. . .a great actress, no doubt. . .but NOT in Miami Vice. She was simply terrible and no matter how many times I’ve WATCHED or will REWATCH the film, I never have or will warm up to her. She was miscast, plain and simple.
I liked your second paragraph. . .equal parts insulting and humurous. Bravo. Haha, I enjoyed it. But I have to call it as I see it. . .Li and Farrell were terrible together and she seemed so completely clueless to what was going on that it really distracted me. I have no doubts that Michael Mann knows what he’s doing. . .he’s been too good in the past not to. . .but his ideas for casting were a bit off with Li’s character. Agree to disagree.
This film does actually improve upon subsequent viewings and I have to hand it to Mann for having the balls to really push the limits of the crime film genre by basically stripping down all of its conventions to its most primal elements and telling the story mostly through visuals. Really, if you think about it, most of the film’s dialogue is technological mumbo jumbo and insider law enforcement crime lingo, which knowing Mann’s obsession with details, is porbably accurate, but audiences expecting a traditional action film or, heaven forbid, a retread of the TV show were in for a very rude awakening.
I think you may have been a wee bit harsh on Gong Li. I think that what hurts her performance the most is her broken English. She did work with a coach and tried to learn English but it was obvious that either she didn’t spend enough time or was rushed for time. Either way, it makes her dialogue hard to decipher (thank goodness for subtitles) but more times I watch it, the more I get the chemistry between her and Farrell’s character and their relationship is actually the heart of the film and makes the ending rather poignant in some ways. Their characters can never be together because of the nature of their professions but at least they had some time together regardless of how fleeting it was.
Anyways, just my two cents.
Hey J.D.,
Thank you for not calling me an ignoramus. Haha. I’m always up for watching any Michael Mann film again and I do own MV on Blu-Ray so I will definitely give it another viewing (MV, despite my criticisms, is one of the films I saw in the theater, something I rented, then bought on standard DVD and then Blu-Ray DVD so I DO like it) and see if I can view Li differently.
I remember Janet Maslin or someone from the New York Times was doing it’s own ‘Oscars’ during MV’s year and they said Gong Li should have been nominated for an OSCAR for this!!!!! Now, I may have been a bit harsh but I’m also not crazy, right? Haha. I view actors by peformance. My idea of Li in Miami Vice does not represent my entire view of her as an actress: I’ve seen terrible actors give one or two great performances and I’ve seen amazing actors give eye-scratchingly terrible performances so she definitely isn’t a bad ACTRESS just, in my opinion, miscast in this film.
In regards to my overall reviews: in general, I approach these things with an air of exaggeration. I take a stance and I take it hard and sometimes it doesn’t 100% display my view of how much I love a movie. I love all Michael Mann films and I really do love Miami Vice, I just decided to focus on a theme and expound it to comedic levels (some people didn’t find it funny, haha. . .such is life).
Thanks for the comment!
Oh, I forgot to add. . .please let me know when your Michael Mann book comes out. Just hearing about has made me salivate.
I sure will! I’m getting pretty close to finishing up. Just not enough hours in the day some times!
And yeah, I certainly would not agree with Maslin about Li deserving of an Oscar nom. for MIAMI VICE. Now, that’s just crazy talk! ; )