Miami Vice

            In this adaptation of the 80’s action comedy, Writer and Director Michael Mann (Dir. Collateral) takes a totally new spin on things, and really doesn’t do much to stay true, other than the characters names, and the fact that they wear leisure suits from time to time. Overall, it is a much darker, and more bizarre Miami Vice.

            James “Sunny” Burton (Colin Farrell, Alexander) and his partner Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Jamie Foxx, Ray) are Miami’s hottest vice detectives. While on a prostitution stakeout, they get a call from a man they handed over to the Feds 6 months earlier. He had ratted out the Feds to the marks, and FBI agents paid the price.

            Now, the FBI is weary of any other government agency connected to the case, which leaves only Miami’s finest out of the loop and up to crack the case.

            They go undercover, infiltrating a huge crime syndicate in South America, and bearing down into unknown waters. It’s a slower pace than previous Mann movies, and definitely jumps around. Frequently he reverts to the hand held “COPS” cam, and so gives an intriguing feel to much of the onscreen happenings. Overall I expected much more character development between The Vice agents, and not so much with the criminals. It was a cool enough story, but the wrong packaging. Miami Vice was not what I expected, but that worked to it’s detrement. There were also sex scenes which served no purpose. Shame on you Michael Mann. 1.