Miami Vice is a 2006 American crime drama film about two Miami police detectives, Crockett and Tubbs, who go undercover to fight drug trafficking operations. The film is an adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name, written, produced, and directed by Michael Mann. The film stars Jamie Foxx as Tubbs and Colin Farrell as Crockett, as well as Chinese actress Gong Li.
Plot
While working an undercover prostitute sting operation to arrest a pimp named Neptune, Miami-Dade Police detectives James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs receive a frantic phone call from their former informant Alonzo Stevens (John Hawkes). Stevens reveals that he is planning to leave town, and believing his wife Leonetta is in immediate danger, asks Rico to check on her. Crockett learns that Stevens was working as an informant for the FBI but has been compromised. Crockett and Tubbs quickly contact the FBI Special Agent in Charge John Fujima (Ciarán Hinds) and warn him about Stevens' safety. Tracking down Stevens through a vehicle transponder and aerial surveillance, Crockett and Tubbs stop him along I-95. Stevens reveals that a Colombian cartel knew that Russian undercovers were working with the FBI from the start and had threatened that Leonetta would be murdered via a C-4 necklace bomb if he did not confess. Rico tells Alonzo that he does not have to go home. Having learned her fate, Stevens, in a state of grief, commits suicide by walking into freeway traffic.
En route to the murder scene Sonny and Rico are phoned by Lt. Castillo (Barry Shabaka Henley) and are instructed to stay away. He tells them to meet him downtown and there they are introduced to John Fujima, head of the Florida Joint Inter-Agency Task Force between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI. An angry Crockett and Tubbs berate Fujima for the errors committed and inquire as to why the MPD were not involved. Fujima reveals that the Colombian group is highly sophisticated and run by Jose Yero (John Ortiz), initially thought to be the cartel's leader. Fujima enlists Crockett and Tubbs, making them Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force deputies, to help and they continue the investigation by looking into "go-fast boats" coming from the Caribbean, delivering loads of narcotics from the Colombians. They then use their Miami informant contacts to set up a meet and greet with the cartel.
Posing as drug smugglers "Sonny Burnett" and "Rico Cooper", the two offer their services to Yero. They find out Yero is the cartel's security and intel man. After a high tension meeting they pass screening and are introduced to Archangel de Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar), kingpin of drug trafficking in South Florida. In the course of their investigation Crockett and Tubbs learn that the cartel is using an extreme Neo-Nazi gang to distribute drugs, and is supplying them with state-of-the-art weaponry. Crockett is also drawn to Montoya's financial advisor and lover Isabella (Gong Li), and the two begin a secret romance on the side. Tubbs begins to worry that Crockett may be getting too deeply involved in his undercover role and fears for the safety of the team. Those fears are soon realized as Trudy (Naomie Harris), the unit's intelligence agent, is kidnapped by the Aryan Brotherhood gang and her life is threatened the same way Leonetta's was unless the loads Crockett and Tubbs were delivering are directly handed over to the AB. With the help of Lt. Castillo the unit triangulates Trudy's location and performs a rescue, but she is critically injured in the aftermath. Soon afterwards Crockett and Tubbs face off against Montoya's number two man Jose Yero, his men, and the Aryan gang at the port of Miami.
After the face-off, Crockett begins to call in backup. When Isabella sees him radioing it in she comes to the realization that he is undercover. Shortly after the gunfight, Crockett takes her to a police safehouse and tells her she will have to leave the country. As Crockett and Isabella stare at each other while Isabella is on a boat slowly drifting off, Crockett takes one last glance, walks away and drives off. Meanwhile, Tubbs is in the hospital holding Trudy's hand as she grasps his, signifying that she will recover. Isabella is shown again on the boat crying, while Crockett is headed into the entrance of the hospital to visit Trudy.
Cast of characters
Production
Development
Jamie Foxx brought up the idea of a Miami Vice film to Michael Mann during a party for Ali. This led Michael Mann to revisit the series he helped create.[3]
Like Collateral, which also starred Foxx, most of the film was shot with the Thomson Viper Filmstream Camera, while Super 35 was used for high-speed and underwater shots. Cinematographer Dion Beebe was also the cinematographer of Collateral.[4]
The suits that Jamie Foxx wore in the film were designed by famous fashion designer Ozwald Boateng. He had worked with Jamie Foxx in the past and caught Mann's eye who then asked him to work on the film.[5] Michael Kaplan was responsible for the costume design overall.
Filming
The film, shot on location in the Caribbean, South America, and South Florida, lost seven days of filming to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.[6] The delays led to a budget of what some insiders claimed to be over $150 million, though Universal Pictures says it cost $135 million.[2] Several crew members criticized Mann's decisions during production, which featured sudden script changes, filming in unsafe weather conditions, and choosing locations that "even the police avoid, drafting gang members to work as security."[2]
Foxx was also characterized as unpleasant to work with. Foxx refused to fly commercially, forcing Universal to give him a private jet. Foxx would not participate in scenes on boats or planes. After gunshots were fired on set in the Dominican Republic on October 24, 2005, Foxx packed up and refused to return; this forced Mann to re-write the ending of the film, an ending that some crew members characterized as less dramatic than the original.[2] Foxx, who won an Academy Award after signing to do Miami Vice, was also reputed to complain about co-star Farrell's larger salary, something Foxx felt did not reflect his new status as an Oscar winner. Foxx received an increase in salary to match Farrell's. It was also reported that Foxx demanded top billing after winning an Oscar.[2]
Mann wanted a film that was as real as it was stylish and even put Colin Farrell in jeopardy by bringing him along (with real FBI drug squads) to drug busts so Farrell could build up the character of Crockett even more.
Sal Magluta, the drug trafficker identified by Tubbs running Go-Fast boats in the opening scenes of the film, is in fact one of Miami's real-life reputed "Cocaine Cowboys" and is currently serving a life sentence for money laundering.
Though Mann set out to craft entirely new characters and story, there were still very subtle references to the television show on which it is based. The plot shares many elements with the episode, "Smuggler's Blues":
- In the film, Tubbs tells drug-dealing Yero, "We can close each others' eyes real fast, but then nobody's gonna make no money." This is a nod to a line in the episode "Smugglers Blues" in which the drug-dealing Grossero tells Tubbs, "You and I are businessmen. We have business to look forward to which we will never see if we close each other's eyes".
- In that same episode, Sonny says "Why is he donating to the good and the welfare?" In the film, Rico asks the same thing while inside of Yero's disco.
- In both the episode and in the film, there is a sub-plot where Trudy is held hostage in a trailer which is rigged with explosives.
The first teaser trailer to appear for the film featured the Linkin Park/Jay-Z song "Numb/Encore". This trailer was attached to the release of King Kong in theatres. For several months before its release, the official website hosted the first teaser trailer for download as a High-Definition WMV download, and is still available at the official site.
Merchandising
Several companies cross-advertised with Miami Vice or had products showcased in them. These companies included IWC,[7] Adam Airplanes, Bacardi, Motorola, BMW, Donzi, MTI (Marine Technology, Inc.), Benelli, and Ferrari among others[8]
Their products are seen throughout the film:
- Crockett (Colin Farrell) is seen ordering and drinking a "Bacardi Mojito" from the bartender in the very first scene of the film and drinks a couple throughout the remainder of the film.
- Zito uses a Motorola video phone to spy on his partner, Switek, as he goes undercover to bust prostitutes inside of The Mansion nightclub.
- Crockett and Tubbs use a Motorola Rugged Notebook at their initial meeting with Martin Castillo and James Fujima
- The three boats in the drug running scene are a Donzi 38 ZF Daytona, a Donzi 38 ZR, and a Donzi 43 ZR.
- Tubbs uses a Benelli M4 Super 90 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun at the end of the film.
- Crockett's Boat (white paint and labeled "Mojo") is a MTI (Marine Technology Inc.) 40 Series with two Mercury 575hp Engines fitted. 160 mph (260 km/h). In the correct sense it is an Offshore Catamaran.
- The (first) distinctive plane featured in the film is the Adam A500. There is another characteristic plane in the film, a Piaggio P180 Avanti, which brings Isabella at the Barranquilla airport, Colombia.
- Like in the original TV series, Crockett and Tubbs drive around in a Ferrari. The model in the film is a Ferrari F430. Later in the film, they drive a white BMW 645i Coupe, a possible tribute to a white Mercedes Benz they had during the first season.
Music
The original Miami Vice television series composer, Jan Hammer, is completely absent from the film and soundtrack. Michael Mann did not want to use the theme song in the film.[9] Furthermore Mann didn’t want any association with the TV series at the behest of Universal executives.[9] Fans of the series e-mailed Universal thousands of letters to include the theme, but ultimately Mann said no.[9] As Hammer put it, "I was completely surprised they didn’t have a remake of it. I think it’s a matter of being too cool for school."[9]
Phil Collins' famous hit "In the Air Tonight", which was featured in the debut episode of the television series, is featured in the film and the soundtrack. The song, however, is a cover done by the Miami-based rock band, Nonpoint.[10]
The RZA was supposed to contribute to the film's score[11] but dropped out for reasons unknown.[12] Organized Noise jumped onboard instead.
There are also several differences between versions of music which appear on the soundtrack and what has been featured in the film:
- Of the first four songs featured in the film's first sequence inside The Mansion nightclub, three are on the soundtrack and Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" is the only song to be featured in its original form. Jay-Z and Linkin Park's "Numb/Encore" is not found on the soundtrack despite being heavily used to promote the film (it was featured in both of the film's trailers) and the fact that it's the first song in the film. Furthermore, the version of Goldfrapp's "Strict Machine" is the "We Are Glitter" remix of the song. and both it and Funky Chakra's "Blacklight Fantasy" are edits from Sasha's mix album, Fundacion NYC. Neither version appears on the soundtrack.
- Clips of two Audioslave songs, "Wide Awake" and "Shape of Things to Come," are featured in the film but the songs do not appear on the soundtrack. This was possibly because the two songs were brand-new and were set to be featured on Audioslave's new album Revelations, which had a release date close to the film.
- The version of Moby's "Anthem" on the soundtrack does not appear in the film. Instead, prominent placement is given to Moby's "Cinematic Version" of the song.
- King Britt's "New World in My View" is featured in the film but is missing the spoken-word lyrics of Sister Gertrude. The song plays instrumentally in the background at one point in the film.
Release
Theatrical run
Miami Vice opened at No. 1 in the United States, knocking Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest out of the number one position at the box office that weekend, after Pirates led the box office for almost a full month.[13] In its opening weekend, the film grossed over $25.7 million at 3,021 theaters nationwide, with an average gross of $8,515 per theater.[14] The film would go on to earn $63.5 million domestically.[14] Miami Vice would fare better internationally. The films aired in 77 countries overseas, grossing $100,344,039 in its international run.[15] Overall the film would gross $164 million worldwide[14] helping to further surpass the reported $135 million budget.
The film stands as one of Michael Mann's top three most financially successful films, next to Heat and Collateral.[16]
Home release
Miami Vice was released to DVD on December 12, 2006. It contained many extra features the theatrical version did not include an extended cut of the film itself. It is one of the first HD DVD/DVD combo discs to be released by Universal Studios. Miami Vice's HD-DVD was one of the best selling DVDs of 2006.[17] The DVD debuted in third place (behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Superman Returns) and managed to sell over a million copies (equivalent to $7.91 million) in its first week alone.[18] As of February 11, 2007, Miami Vice had grossed over $36.45 million in rentals.[19]
On August 26, 2008, Universal Studios released Miami Vice on Blu-ray.[20][21]
Critical reception
Response to Miami Vice has been mixed. On Metacritic it holds a 65 "Generally Favorable Reviews",[22] while on Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 48% "rotten" rating.[23] However, it also holds a markedly higher 67% "fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop reviewers.[24] Miami Vice received positive notices from major publications including Rolling Stone,[25] Empire,[26] Variety,[27] Newsweek,[28] New York,[29] The Village Voice,[30] The Boston Globe,[31] Entertainment Weekly,[32] and film critic Richard Roeper on the television program Ebert & Roeper.[33] Additionally, New York Times critic Manohla Dargis declared it "glorious entertainment" in her year-end wrap-up and praised its innovative use of digital photography.[34]
The film received negative reviews from The Washington Post[35] and the Los Angeles Times.[36]
Top-ten lists, 2006:[37]
References
- ^ a b "Miami Vice". Box Office Mojo. www.boxofficemojo.com. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=miamivice.htm.
- ^ a b c d e "Fleeing the Scene". Slate (www.slate.com). 2006-07-13. http://www.slate.com/id/2145622.
- ^ "Black Entertainment | Black News | Urban News |Hip Hop News". EURweb.com. 2006-07-28. http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur27732.cfm. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ "Miami Vice in HD". Digitalcontentproducer.com. 2006-05-23. http://digitalcontentproducer.com/hdhdv/depth/miami_vice_in_HD_05232006/. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ "Eurweb". Eurweb.com. 2006-06-19. http://www.eurweb.com/printable.cfm?id=26990. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ Snyder, Gabriel (2006-01-15). "'Vice' feels the squeeze: Timing a little off for Mann's latest project". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117936137.html?categoryid=1019&cs=1&query=miami+and+vice&display=miami+vice. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Bot generated title ->". IWC<!. https://www.iwc.com/communication/events/events_miami_vice-en.asp. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ "Miami Vice's Brand Affiliations". Fastcompany.com. 2008-02-08. http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/lynne-d-johnson/digital-media-diva/miami-vices-brand-affiliations. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ a b c d Friedman, Roger (2006-07-25). "Miami Vice Theme: Axed, but Alive". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205416,00.html. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (2006-07-26). "'Miami Vice' makes series of changes". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-07-26-miami-vice-inside_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "The United States Chess Federation - Interview with RZA". Main.uschess.org. 2007-10-09. http://main.uschess.org/content/view/7924/349/. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ "Miami Vice". ignore Magazine. http://www.ignoremagazine.com/features/vicecity/index.html. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ Klatell, James M. (2006-07-30). "'Miami Vice' Sinks 'Pirates'". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/30/entertainment/main1847535.shtml. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ a b c "Miami Vice (2006)". boxofficemojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=miamivice.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Miami Vice Foreign Totals". boxofficemojo. 2007-12-16. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=miamivice.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Michael Mann - Box Office Data Movie Director". The-numbers.com. http://www.the-numbers.com/people/directors/MMANN.php. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ "Universal Planning More Than 100 HD DVDs". ComingSoon.net. 2007-01-25. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=18574. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ C.S. Strowbridge (2006-12-16). "10 Million People Purchase Pirate DVDs This Week". The Numbers News. http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=2301. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Miami Vice (2006) - DVD / Home Video Rentals". BoxOfficeMojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=homevideo&id=miamivice.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Gibbs, Tom (2008-08-25). "Miami Vice, Blu-ray (2008, Original release 2006)". Audiophile Audition. http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4699. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "Miami Vice (Unrated Director's Edition) Blu-ray (2006)". Amazon.com. 2008. http://www.amazon.com/Miami-Vice-Unrated-Directors-Blu-ray/dp/B001B7CNXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1220198094&sr=1-1. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "Miami Vice (2006): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/miamivice?q=miami%20vice. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Miami Vice (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/miami_vice/?beg=0&int=141&creamcrop_limit=37&page=all. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Miami Vice (2006)". http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/miami_vice/?critic=creamcrop.
- ^ Travers, Peter (2006-07-20). "Miami Vice: Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/7222793/review/10905108/miami_vice. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Braund, Simon. "Review of Miami Vice". Empire Reviews Central. http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?DVDID=117450. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (2006-07-23). "Miami Vice". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931152.html?categoryid=31&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Ansen, David (2006-07-31). "Lukewarm Waters". Newsweek Entertainment. http://www.newsweek.com/id/46228. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Edelstein, David (2006-07-24). "Sea, Sun, and Hungry Sex". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/18468/. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Foundas, Scott (2006-07-18). "Undercover of the Night". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-07-18/film/undercover-of-the-night/. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Morris, Wesley (2006-07-28). "'Vice' Grip". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=7788. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (2006-07-26). "Miami Vice (2006)". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1219232,00.html. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Miami Vice Review". At the Movies. 2006. http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/reviews.html?sec=1&subsec=4182. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (2006-12-24). "Not for the Faint of Heart or Lazy of Thought". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/movies/24darg.html. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Hunter, Stephen (2006-07-28). "'Miami Vice': Way Cool Then, Now Not So Hot". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072701745.html. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (2006-07-28). "'Miami Vice'". Los Angeles Times. http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-vice28jul28,0,4539261.story. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ "Metacritic 2008 Film Critic Top Ten Lists 2006". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2006/toptens.shtml. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
External links
Articles
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