There were several expectations. Miami Police when it was announced that a remake of the film would be released in 2006. Growing up on the seminal television series of the 80s, Gen Xers expected flashy seafoam T-shirts under rolled-up blazers, big bucks for drug exchanges, and the exuberance of the Art Deco architectural style that defines South Florida’s exotic region. Millennials have seen Colin Farrell and Jamie Fox tabs to play the iconic duo of Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs, and was expecting a high-octane, big-budget shooter-style thriller that would be more in line Bad guys films that preceded it.
While the remake had a bit of both of those elements, there was one ingredient that many people overlooked that ended up being the driving force behind the underrated remake, and that was the man behind the camera giving orders. When Michael Mann agreed to direct the project, the audience had to be on high alert that the remake would have his signature style throughout, and that it would be good for the potential for a successful remake.
Miami Vice attacked preconceived notions from the start
Dealing with the preconceived notions of both critics and the public can work both in favor of the remake and against it. When you talk about a remake of something as culturally significant and outstanding as a long-running NBC series, it works against Miami Police. It had been more than fifteen years since the last episode of the television series aired in January 1990, but that didn’t matter to Mann. He was going to attack the source material and give it a form that would fit with all the successful Michael Mann films that came before him. Heat, Last of the Mohicans.
Right from the start, when Crockett and Tubbs hunt down a suspected human trafficker in a posh Miami nightclub, it feels like a unique experience. Mann still intended to use gritty, complex characters, but it’s clear he really wanted to pick up the pace of both the score (Ian Hammer’s synth-heavy opening song is gone) and the cinematography. With faster panning and more focused framing, Mann used his cameras to speed up the pace and increase the film’s overall tone accordingly. This is Mann’s trademark technique, which he uses with great aplomb.
‘Miami Vice’ gives us epic aerial footage
One of the things that was criminally overlooked in the remake by Mann (who also served as the film’s principal producer) was his masterful aerial photography of both Miami’s beautiful night skylines and the natural, exotic and oceanic landscapes surrounding Florida’s southern peninsula. Stunning panoramic night views of the magnificent downtown Miami enhance night shots, while breathtaking footage of contour boats zipping through the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the waters of the Persian Gulf highlight the artful and crisp cinematography. These are qualities that have been largely overlooked or ignored by critics and fans alike, but it’s a very large part of what Mann and his chief cinematographer Dion Beebe brought to the film that other directors would either have overlooked or not struggled with. for them, negotiating a price of $136. million dollar budget with Universal Pictures. This is obvious from Miami Policein particular, that moviegoers were willing to ignore the fact that every Michael Mann film is a unique piece of art and the backgrounds are the tapestries he works on.
“Miami PD’s multi-dimensional characters are mesmerizing”
Since the release of Miami Vice in 2006, both of its main characters, Colin Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, have established themselves as versatile and dynamic performers. If you saw this year Banshee Inesherina or Fox’s Oscar-winning role in Ray you are familiar with the range these two actors have. Both provide detailed performances in Miami Police that within 135 minutes you will be completely immersed in their characters. Through their personal and professional relationship, the unspoken bond between the two police officers stands out. Dealing with many very dangerous and unpredictable drug dealers, each understands what the other is thinking. Having a sixth sense when it comes to watching each other’s backs in dangerous situations is essential, especially when working undercover, where even the slightest misstep can result in a quick and unceremonious death. Not to be overlooked Ciarán Hinds and Naomie Harris back up the two presenters with your amazing performances.
“Miami Vice” has an international flavor that works
Filming in the Caribbean, Uruguay, Paraguay and South Florida, cast Miami Police consists of many people from different countries. Sonny Crockett’s love interest for the movie Isabella (Gong Li) is a brilliant Chinese-Cuban financial manager who plays a significant supporting role in the film. Luis Tosar, a Spanish native, excels as the dastardly and formidable drug lord Montoya, who works well among the international cast, building a believable network of smugglers working to get massive quantities of cocaine into the states via South Florida. It’s also no coincidence that of the film’s nearly $165 million in gross receipts, over $100 million came from outside the United States, as the international thriller features multiple countries.
Miami Vice Legacy
Even though the film was met with slightly negative reviews, we are going to prove that Miami Police was a misunderstood international crime epic that did not disappoint, but was met with a reluctant American audience expecting a beefed up, big-budget version of the hugely successful series from a bygone era. While we all loved Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas like OG, who had worn white trousers and blazers over pastel-colored T-shirts two decades earlier, he should not have been used as a flag bearer for the subsequent film version. Michael Mann’s vision wanted to establish its own identity, and eventually did so. But sometimes the original version is too ingrained in our minds to leave room for a more comprehensive and artistic adaptation.
Source: Collider
