What I Rented - Miami Vice

Miami Vice has to be the coolest movie ever made. That’s not a compliment, just an observation. Characters slam down mad rhymes, people rarely smile, there’s all sorts of “Vice” lingo that is so nonsensical it must be important, and when anyone takes a shower they aren’t on their own for too long (uh huh!).

I have to hand it to Michael Mann. He is committed to this cool vision even if that vision veers into self-parody numerous times.

Crockett and Tubbs know the seedy drug underworld, and when an informant spills the beans on a wide array of undercover FBI agents, it’s up to the Miami Vice Squad to rebuild the case. This means…deep cover. Or as Tubbs says, they are in so deep they can’t tell, “which way is up!”……so cool Tubbs, so cool. Of course, Crockett finds himself not only deeply undercover, but deeply in love with Isabella, a business woman who deals in drugs.

The biggest problem with Miami Vice is that there is nothing beneath the cool surface. Crockett and Tubbs act the same way in their personal lives as they do on the job. Because the audience can’t see their fears, hopes, dreams, or how they love outside of a sexual relationship they become one note crusaders. The right actors could maybe have pulled this off. Look at Daniel Craig’s work in Casino Royale – yes he’s cool, but Craig always makes sure to pull back, and reveal slight insecurities when nobody’s looking. Foxx and Farrell always maintain a cool persona, and it becomes tiresome and ultimately alienating.

How can an audience care about these relationships when there’s no real sense that the characters care about one another?

The movie finally gets its second wind in the last forty-five minutes when everything gets out of hand for Crockett and Tubbs. Mann creates some genuinely suspenseful action scenes. As he has shown in Heat and Collateral he knows how to stage a shootout, and Miami Vice is no exception. For this chunk of the movie, Mann finally surrenders his film to its surface level style, and the clinical way in which he follows each step of the action is captivating.

It’s not enough to save the movie, however; and Mann’s attempt at an emotionally complex ending falls flat.

Miami Vice tries too hard to be hip and cutting edge. It can focus on beautiful women, fast boats, sleek airplanes, cool clothes, and slick weapons all it wants, but with nothing behind it, it all just comes off as superficial nonsense.

Star Rating ** (out of 4 stars)