I'm not up to a full review, this time. Besides, this is the kind of flick that lends itself well to quickies.
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* As usual, I begin by stating that my only qualifications as a reviewer extend no further than my love of comics, television and film. I'm not an academic, when it comes to this particular topic. I just talk about what I like and what I don't like. *
Any potential spoilers in my reviews must be highlighted to be visible.
Any potential spoilers in my reviews must be highlighted to be visible.
Plot Summary:
"Miami Vice" is, quite simply, a movie about two cool, but very competent Miami/Dade County police officers on a big-time assignment. You really don't need to know any more than that.
And you certainly don't need to know about, have seen, or even remember the television show that inspired the movie.
Quick Hits:
The Good-
* the "functional" tone
* the (platonic) chemistry between Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell
* strong supporting cast
* Miami, as a story character
* excellent balance of action drama and dramatic silence
* special effects
* physically fit male leads (helps me buy that they can kick ass)
The Bad-
* one or more predictable plot points
* mildly unpleasant message, at the end
* big jowl-ed police superior acts competently but looks like a bulldog
My Reaction:
I did not want to see this movie, at first, but my lady did. I'm glad I acquiesced. We enjoyed it a lot.
It took a quick second to adjust to the tone, but doing so was effortless. Michael Mann wrote, directed, and co-produced this flick and I must say that he did a damned fine job of it.
Among other things, I had casting concerns, but they were firmly laid to-rest, at the beginning of the movie. The nit-picker in me had a problem with the male leads' facial foliage, but their performances were on-point. Farrell may have worked a little too hard on his American accent a time or two, but it didn't ruin the film, by any means.
You'd expect a movie like this to be over-sensationalized, but it really wasn't. Not too much music and not too much posing.
Toss in deftly composed and sparingly applied special-effects and Mr. Mann's stock continues to grow. We saw effects we'd never seen anywhere else before.
Recommended?
Absolutely.
I'll take an action movie like this one, any day of the week.
12 comments:
Great review. You should check out the one that I did. Anyway, just wanted to say that Michael Mann (Manhunter, Ali, Heat) wrote, directed and produced the film, not Michael Bay. From the IMDB. Later!!
Thanks, vipe!
Pretty strong ringing endorsement mr. West. Considering that the critics came down on it pretty hard. Not to mention there were so many problems on set during the making of this movie that most predicted it wouldn't even see its opening date. Kudos for providing a great review! I didn't watch the series, but Foxx has been in the stratosphere since winning his oscar. Just the same, I'll probably wait for it on DVD!
Viperteq's review is much better than mine, but I've gotta say that this is a movie-goers movie... worth seeing in a movie theater.
If you've got a jammin'-ass home theater, maybe waiting is cool. Otherwise, I strongly urge the interested to trek to their nearest and dearest multi-plex.
i heard it sucked but if you say it's aiight, i'll defer to your stellar tastes.
I definitely want to see this joint!
Thanks, Nikki.
If you see it and think it was awful (and that I was off-the-mark), feel free to say so.
I've found that, even when I find that someone else's reviews are misleading, they're still valuable. For instance, if certain people say a movie was excellent, I know that from my own perspective, it's probably quite the stinker.
Of course, I don't wanna be that guy :p but *shrugs*
I guess I will have to go watch the movie. You aren't that guy, at least not as far as I am concerned. :-) Welcome back!
Are you settled into your new place?
I'll wait for the video.
remnants: Our stuff is in the new place. Now we're trying to make room for ourselves.
Hopefully we can get closer to "settled," this weekend.
I didn't want to see it either. But my arm is being (gently) twisted ... and a good review doesn't hurt.
chele: I hope you dig it.
Of course, if you don't like these kinds of movies, in general, it's probably not gonna blow your skirt up all that high.
So to speak.
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