Merrick can feel "it" coming in the air, tonight! "It"?! Feel what coming?!

Randy wrote in after a second screening of Michael Mann’s MIAMI VICE.

This one went down in Long Beach (I love Long Beach! I want to move there – has anyone out there eaten at The Long Beach Café?). If Randy’s time keeping is accurate, sounds like Mann trimmed about 15 minutes from the film since its last iteration (which ran 2 ½ hours).

This review is interesting because it came from someone with low expectations, who ended up pretty much liking what he saw. This is an important obstacle for MIAMI VICE to overcome; the film doesn’t seem to have the buzz/positive vibe that I would’ve expected it to develop by now. I saw its trailer in theaters recently, and people laughed when the title popped in.

I think some of this may be due to people misremembering the television series, whose pastel visuals and ultra-stylization overshadow how nihilistic the show really was. Also, many folks (not AICNers) still don’t “get” that this film is a re-working of the original concept, rather than a blind exaltation of its more kitschy elements. So, they’re misremembering the original series, and misinterpreting the new film that’s based on a show they don’t recall correctly to begin with. A tricky scenario for Universal marketing to address, and potentially catastrophic pitfall at the box office.

This is just my perception of what’s going on…my take could be completely wrong.

Here’s Randy…

So I get a flyer for a "Unnamed R-rated drama" with a bunch of movies I'm supposed to have seen including SWAT, COLLATERAL and TRAINING DAY. Sounds intriguing. So I head down to the Edwards 26 in Long Beach to see what it is... which turns out to be Miami Vice, as I figured it would be.

Now I'm not going to go over the plot, as previous reviews have already gone up.

I will say that I went in with VERY low expectations. I was none too thrilled with the trailer, thought the cast was so-so and, like you, I wondered why this TV show needed to be turned into a movie. But I was pleasantly surprised!

If you're expecting the same feel as the original series, well you'll know you're NOT in that movie when you see what a Barrett fifty-cal sniper rifle does to body parts! This is a movie that has more in common with Collateral and Heat than it does Band of the Hand! I LOVE that it's a "hard" R movie coming out in the summertime.

Michael Mann continues his recent trend in films, going for a grittier, street level movie. It seems like the past ten years of filmmaking has been done to get to this movie. I know several reviews claim that the story is like an episode of the old show. I think that's not accurate. I think the story goes down deeper into what the series was doing. We never see the inside of a police station, never hang with Crockett & Tubbs off-duty; these two are ALWAYS on duty. This is about two cops who are so undercover that they have the ability to go up an entire drug chain and find out how to tear it down. I enjoyed seeing these guys in world where everything is slippery and they have only themselves to count on. This is less about the world of money, women and cars than it is of backroom deals, amoral criminals and the constant fear of death in the air.

The action scenes are first rate, with one scene being a taut and tense standoff and the final shootout giving the impression of "COPS" episode coming to you live and on adrenaline. Mann seems to be trying more and more to be as real as he can in his recent films and it continues here. In the last fight, I dig the fact that the guns in movie don't sound like howitzers going off but actually have a more realistic sound. I'm surprised at the fact that there are only three really "big" shootouts in the movie, two nearly coming back to back.

Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx step up well, given the gaudy, sock-less versions of the 80's that people remember. There's a great bond established between the two, giving the feeling of comrades who've been depending on each other for many years. I was especially worried about getting the Jamie Foxx who was TRYING to be so suave and charming (see STEALTH). The supporting cast, though relatively unknown to me (which was GREAT!), does a great job, though I think Elizabeth Rodriguez's Det. Gina Calabrese stands out for me. She is one HARD woman in a fight; I love a woman who can handle a G-36!

Now that isn't to say Miami Vice doesn't need more work.

From last week's screenings, I think the film has been cut down some, as the running time was around 2 hr 15 min. Even still, it needs to be trimmed down to be a faster paced, leaner movie. I think it'll finally wind up at two hours.

This was a "digital work print" but seemed pretty clean to me (PLEASE don't take out that digi-camera, sitting next to Farrell. driving fast feel), with some effects to be added in. Music was temp, though I guess they added the Linkin Park/Jay-Z song back in from last week's showing. I'll be interested in hearing the final music and score.

I also wonder why several plot points are brought up and never resolved, especially as they are brought up as the instigating factor for the plot! This is an important thing that needs to be corrected quickly. Reviewers have talked about the problem with the ending. I agree, though it more about getting an idea of what's going to happen to Crockett and Tubbs than anything else.

So, I went in with low expectations and came out looking forward to seeing the final work. Oh, and I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to chat with you, Mr. Mann. Guess you left before I finished filling out the card!

Thanks all!

Randy of AFTimes (www.aftimes.com)