Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li, Naomie Harris, Ciaran Hinds
Director: Michael Mann
It’s been a few years but MIAMI VICE is finally back, this time on the big screen and with a new set of actors in familiar roles. Colin Farrell replaces Don Johnson as Crockett (alias Burnett) and Jamie Foxx fills in for Philip Michael Thomas as Tubbs.
The movie dives headlong into the action with Crockett and Tubbs in the middle of an undercover operation. There’s no soft introduction to the characters or build-up for unfamiliar audiences, you either know the set-up or you learn fast. Having virtually watched every episode of the TV show I obviously didn’t find this a problem but although I had the benefit of knowing the background I really don’t think that the lack of character build-up would bother a novice viewer too much as it’s pretty clear who are the cops, the snitches and the bad guys.
As a new situation unfolds the two detectives go under deep cover providing a service to a large and well connected drug cartel, picking up drug shipments and transporting them into Miami in an effort to expose the gang’s corrupt contacts in the police force.
Crockett gets involved with a woman, not exactly unheard of in the TV show and the rest of the team is brought in for back-up with some excellent shootouts filmed more like scenes from a war zone than a drug bust complete with the kind of automatic weapons a crack marine unit would be proud of.
More than anything MIAMI VICE was always about the lead characters and it has to be said that both Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx do a first class job with their roles. They really seem to have stepped into the original leads’ shoes.
Top that off with fast cars, boats, planes and that special style, and MIAMI VICE is well and truly back for 2006.
