Miami Vice
Written and directed by Michael Mann
Rated R: for language, strong violence, drug content, sexual situations and nudity
Michael Mann’s latest foray into the world of crime and the blurring of good and evil is a mess of movie. The Oscar-nominated director seems to be more concerned with showing off his beautiful, but raw, high-def cinematography (the film looks similar to Mann’s previous effort Collateral) than putting together a coherent and interesting plot.
There is no doubt in my mind that Mann is a talented filmmaker, but he seems to make better films on a medium-sized budget. Take for instance his masterpiece Heat—a film that was made for $60 million; or the simple, existential hit man tale Collateral with a budget of $65 million; The Insider cost $68 million and was nominated for seven Academy Awards. All of these films were successes for Mann, unlike the boring, disappointing and altogether dissatisfying biopic Ali (estimated budget of $107 million).
Then there is Miami Vice. Costing more than $135 million to make, the film is a major bore from start to finish. And anybody who tells you that the climactic shootout here rivals the bank heist scene from Heat is out of their mind.
The best parts of the film are the visuals. Using the high-def digital Viper camera, Mann shows Miami as a gritty underworld using grainy digital photography at night. During the daytime, the high-def camera really flexes its visual muscles. The images are crystal clear, and show Miami as a beautiful landscape crawling with drug dealers and gun fights.
With little characterization and even less coherent storytelling, Mann has taken a step backward artistically with Miami Vice. I expect he will return with a better effort next time out, but perhaps he should consider a smaller production budget and embrace the creative opportunities that come with it.
HDFEST grading scale
-Miami Vice-
Story D+
Acting C+
Visuals B (nighttime scenes)
A (daytime scenes)
Originality D+
Enjoyability C
Overall Grade C-
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