Review: ‘Miami Vice’ strays from TV original

Rated: R

The TV show, “Miami Vice” was one of those “I Love the ’80s” pop culture phenomena that slipped almost entirely by me.

All I knew about it was Don Johnson and some actor with three names starred as Miami cops who sported Jimmy Buffet-style shirts, went sans socks and busted people to a soundtrack provided by Jan Hammer, Phil Collins and Glen Frey.

The executive producer (although not the creator as most people believe) of the show was Michael Mann. Mann got his start in the 1970s, writing and directing cop shows like “Police Woman,” “Vega$” and “Starsky and Hutch.”

In 1981, three years before taking the reigns at “Miami Vice,” Mann made his first foray to the big screen. He wrote, produced and directed “Thief,” the stylized safecracker film starring James Caan. It was apparent from this debut that Mann was a true original. He went on to write and direct such critically acclaimed (and box office friendly) films as “Last of the Mohicans,” “Heat,” “Ali” and “Collateral.”

Mann also has the distinction of bringing one of the movies’ creepiest villains to the screen for the first time. He adapted “Manhunter” from the Thomas Harris novel, “Red Dragon.” That film introduced the character Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter, later of “The Silence of the Lambs” infamy.

With his latest film, Mann continues to perfect the style he began 25 years ago in “Thief.” “Miami Vice” is a taut thriller with incredible cinematography (courtesy of Dion Beebe, who also shot “Collateral”), intense characters and a soundtrack of powerful music.

The film certainly isn’t a typical rehashing – or comedic reworking – of the TV series from which it sprang. The names of the two main characters are the same and they work undercover for the Miami Police Department. If not for cashing in on the history of the “Miami Vice” name, this film could have gone by any number of other monikers.

Much to Mann’s credit, he wastes no time in establishing the characters’ identities relating to their former small screen selves. “Miami Vice,” the film, hits the ground running and seldom stops to take a breath.

Sonny Crockett (Colin Ferrell) and Rico Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) are working an undercover drug sting when they get a call from a trusted informant who tells them things are about to go awry on another drug bust. He swears he didn’t give them up, but people from other agencies are going to be upset. Some are going to die.

This botched operation leads the FBI to reasonably suspect there’s a rat in the house somewhere. Since the Miami PD wasn’t involved in this particular sting operation, it’s decided that Crockett and Tubbs will go undercover to try to discover who is telling whom about what is going on at the FBI.

Posing as nefarious transportation experts, the two arrange a meeting with a Colombian drug cartel headed by Jesus Mantoya, with day-to-day operations handled by the cold-blooded Jose Yero. Yero is the type of guy who would likely have you killed and then bill your grieving family for the cost of the bullets.

Also in the mix is Jesus’ business manager/lady friend Isabella, played by Chinese actress Gong Li. Those unfamiliar with Ms. Li’s work should seek out the DVDs of “Raise the Red Lantern,” “Ju Dou” or “The Story of Qiu Ju.” She is one of the finest actresses in recent film, as well as a stunning screen presence.

Isabella, and her relationship with both Mantoya and (as the film progresses) Crockett, helps keep “Miami Vice” from being just another mindless, mega-budgeted, action-for-action’s sake bloated bombast. Isabella and Naomie Harris as Tubbs’ love interest add much heart and soul to the story.

Mann shifts locations around the globe, and the film is an expanded look at just two operations between the Miami boys and the Colombians. The plot gets somewhat involved. As always, Mann demands attention from the viewer, so be advised: Get your popcorn before taking your seat.

As admitted, I never saw the TV show of the same name. Rabid fans hoping for a cozy nostalgia-fest may be disappointed that Mann has strayed so far from the original. But throw nostalgia out the window and enjoy the film version of “Miami Vice,” which is more the descendent of Mann’s films “Heat” and “Thief” than it is of the small-screen series.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.