Review Miami Vice

Review: Miami Vice

The original TV series of this show never did much for me. I always considered it to be style over substance. There were lots of 'beauty' shots, an excess of beautiful people and all the locations would have looked ideal in a tourist board brochure.

If I'm really honest I'd have to say that I never really watched enough of it to get a real handle on the characters or the writing. Which is good because it means I'm not comparing this to something of which I harbour fond memories.

At the opening it seems as if the tourist board are going to get some more free advertising. The film opens with the team on a stakeout at a nightclub. The beautiful people arrive in a succession of flash cars (in one case in a matching fleet, no less) and walk past the ordinary punters queuing outside. All of which serves to highlight the veneer of glamour on the seedy side of this beautiful city. We soon learn that the VIPs we've seen arrive are a crime-boss and his entourage, including the girls he's using to sweeten the deal.

We're also introduced to this film's most irritating feature. Whilst I'm sure the dialogue is highly accurate and authentic (actually, I'm not sure at all but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt) it is often entirely incomprehensible. Technobabble and jargon in dialogue are often cited criticisms levelled at SF films by folk who can't use their imaginations. At least they generally have the excuse of talking about things which don't exist. Here the dialogue is just so obscure and often mumbled so quietly that one is left feeling alienated and divorced from what is going on. Jamie Foxx is particularly guilty of a frequent failure to enunciate or energise his voice enough to be comprehensible. All too often you will be left with no clue at all as to what the hell they're on about.

This opening scene is something of a case in point, who they're watching, why and what their plan is are all left irritatingly obscure. Yet, somehow, it doesn't really matter. Just like the technobabble in SF the details of the organisation of deals and the jargon involved can be allowed to flow past. The characters know what they're talking about, so the rest of us can assume that they are competent at what they do and can move with ease in the world they are trying to penetrate.

The performances are exceptionally strong throughout, with a surprising number of Brits filling roles I'd normally expect to see go to the usual company of American character actors. Gong Li gives a wonderful performance showing more range and depth than anyone else in the cast. Her accent is heavy and at times difficult to follow, but she's still clearer than Foxx who's using his native language.

The film is shot with high grain in the film stock, either making a virtue of using film rather than digital stock or trying for a degree of documentary feel. During the last battle we are even 'treated' to the sight of rain drops on the lens. Actually, stuff like that makes it harder to stay involved in the story as one is instantly reminded that one is watching a film. So a wee note to directors here; if you're not making a documentary don’t use documentary techniques. It doesn’t add to the realism of your piece of fantasy and it can be a big distraction.

What does help the suspension of disbelief is that we get to see the underside of Miami. The bits which aren’t so pretty and touristy. We also see a lot of Havana and Cuba giving a much clearer idea of how close they all are and just how hard it must be to keep drugs from crossing America’s borders. Unlike the tv series the colour palette is very subdued, the weather is often poor and the fashions are not embarrassing. The vehicle porn count is still very high, everyone’s still pretty and the cops all live in luxurious houses. Given how little we are lead to believe they are paid these days one has to assume that this is for effect rather than an further attempt to stretch the cinema verite motif.

The story is nothing special. There’s nothing new here and much that can be spotted a mile off and is well into cliché territory. It would be nice if, even for one moment, we could believe that Crockett is going to go over the edge and side with his new girlfriend but we can’t. None of these cops could be suspected of being tempted by the huge wealth they see in front of them every day. The success and fantastic writing on shows like The Shield indicate that this would be fertile ground and leave much scope for innovative plot twists and America certainly has the writers to produce such a rich and imaginative script. So here’s another hint for Hollywood directors: You’re a director; you don’t think an amateur could do your job, so hire someone who can write to produce your script. All you’re going to come up with is hackneyed clichés. I’ve heard tales from writers who have worked with directors whose egos insist that they can improve what writers do. Sometimes they might even manage it. Probably they won’t.

In short, this is not an exceptional film, but it is very far from being bad. Worth watching, but of dubious return value.