Before the 2006 Miami Vice movie come out what wore you expecting?

[Victor]

Right after I heard that there will be a Miami Vice movie coming out in year 2006 I had so many guesses what it would be like,does it take place in the 80s era or it will be modern,do it include the original actors from the original Vice series,my mind was blowing by ideas of how I would imagine the movie be like.of course after I saw it,sadness filled me,maybe because I had to many ideas of my own look on how Miami Vice movie should had been or that I did not felt any Vice vibe in that movie,but probably its the both reasons.so I'm curious what thoughts you had before the movie come out.before the 2006 Miami Vice movie come out what wore you expecting?like what course of action you thought take place in the movie?did you expect any of the original series actors to appear in the movie?if yes,then who?

Edited November 7, 2014 by Victor

[KaeptnCaipi]

To be honest, I didn't expect too much. I also didn't expect that one of the originial cast would be a main character again. I thought maybe a cameo would make sense (like in "Starsky and Hutch").

 

But watching the movie with very low expectations, it wasn't that bad at all.

[mvnyc]

Once I heard who was cast in the lead roles, I knew this was going go (sadly) in a different direction.  They were trying to update it for the (then) times, but it failed miserably... 

[Susanna Girl]

^ what he said.

 

I was extremely disappointed and wish I'd never watched it to begin with.  It seemed like nothing but a vehicle to get Colin Farrell on the big screen to make some big cash.  

 

It could have been such a cool movie...so much to draw from, but it was just an exploitation imho.

 

Edit:  and also, any thoughts of doing a real Miami Vice movie,with the '80's vibe of the tv show and with some of the originals, is lost...since now that ship has already sailed.  I for one would welcome that, but sadly, I don't think it will happen.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Susanna Girl

[James]

I can't answer this. I watched the movie before the series, and when you do that - it's a half decent movie.

I think the main issue is that they used the wrong music. Linkin Park does not go with Miami Vice and it never will.

It would have also been better if Michael Mann waited until the 30th anniversary to release a movie, as the 80s are back in style now so there'd be a huge bunch of fitting indie music to choose from. Keeping the old vibe, but being new at the same time.

[Kunthep Traveller]

Myself i was thinking that the original actors are playing again... but really they dont...  but the movie was not so bad... but nothing like the tv series...

[Vincent Hanna]

I watched the Movie before i was interested in the tv show.

 

So when I watched the Vice Movie for the first time I was expecting it to be like Mann's other films like Heat and Collateral which it really is if you think about it.

 

I even really like Colin Farrell and Gong Li in it, Not a big fan of Jamie Foxx though

[Victor]

When I first heard about Miami Vice movie,I thought it would be present day,years passed from the 80s action in Miami and then someone (this is just my thoughts) tried to or did assassinate Castillo and are after the other crew members of the 80s Vice squad. was thinking to see Saundra Santiago or Don Johnson him self.I did not expect those actors to be main characters in the movie,because time did it its job and they are no longer by fit to chase suspects in the alleys full speed,but I though about new team digging up what is going on and questioning the 80s Vicers and the 80s cast reunite to do their own investigation and end up with two teams on a case but not working together like the new "fresh blood" vs experienced cops who knows every corner in town only names of the players had changed.well that is just my view of the story.
  I do not say that the movie was terrible,it was nice at some parts and that is the problem.couple moments of action and thats it.
Michael Mann's movies are good,I like a lot of his movies like the Thief,but in Miami Vice movie I missed something and I do not know what,I just did not ride along with the movies course.

[Jerry B.]

The only thing the movie and the show have in common is the title. Period.

 

I was 24 to 29 years old when the show was on air, so I lived the 80s and the Vice vibe (visual, fashion, music etc.).  When I heard about the coming up movie I thought: "It just can't be done. It will never work". And that's what happened.

 

It's not about movie quality, it's about being or not Miami Vice. And the movie is not.

 

Really, making something barely comparable would have been an impossible task for anybody. Mann included. We all know the many whys. Nevertheless they could have made something much better than that poor film. For the one of you interested in long-readings, there's a post I wrote on the subject. It's called "The Last Big MIssed Chance".

 

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php/topic/11378-the-last-big-missed-chance/

 

Enjoy

Edited November 11, 2014 by Jerry B.

[Victor]

I remember one of Don's interviews on a TV show.can not remember what show it was and what year it was but there Don mentioned that a Miami Vice movie is possible for release,that was the best time to do that movie when Don talked about it,even if there wore early 90s it would still could had a ticket to match the movie with its title.but the 80s had past and all the cool stuff with it.till this day I watch 80s movies and collect all the stuff I manage to find from the 80s and I feel good doing it.Miami Vice movie was one of the first movies who wore made as a copy of the classic movies,like its happening right now.new movies with classic titles and thats it.never a newer movie will be better the the classic one.back in the days the movies wore depended from actors talent,charm all the stunts and soundtracks is not compared to now days movies stuffed with computer graphic and the reviews of the movies go by how much money the directors spend on visual effects and how much was paid to actors just to get them in that movie.I do not say that the new movies are bad,some are really not so bad at all but if someone ask me what I would prefer to watch a blue monkeys jumping from the cliffs(Avatar) or to watch a classic movie like (lets say) The Breakfast Club,I guess you get the idea what I would choose.sorry for me being so turn up on this post its only classic 80s movies(the same for fashion and music) are the classic and some people love it till this day some do not and the third not even care about it but no one now can not make something better that there was made in that decade.so leave what is best to be the best and new stuff only can compare to that.just ask you self do you ever do such stuff like after watching a new movie and walking out of cinema and remembering some older movie which looks similar for you to the new one and comparing it.
 again sorry for being such a grumbler about all this Vice movie stuff,I apologize.

[Tony D.]

@ James & thedeparted94........Since you both saw the movie before the series, you had no pre -conceived ideas of what to expect.

 The movie actually wasn't too bad as a vice cop drama.

If like me and many other fans who had watched the series for 5 seasons, you would have been extremely disappointed.

The movie was very dark in mood as well as in the night scenes.

The MV series we all love, although about drug dealers etc., with its pastel colors and beach scenes made me want to go to Florida, especially to Miami.  The movie didn't make me feel that way, at all.

 

Noogie & mainly Izzy brought needed comic relief to the episodes ...........also the funny remarks of Stan & Crockett did the same.

The movie was devoid of any humor.  It was different from the series, although it used some of the series' story lines.

Colin Farrell was a stiff as Sonny Crockett & Jamie Foxx was no better.

 

As Don Johnson said, "I don't know what movie they're making, but it ain't Miami Vice!"

Edited November 11, 2014 by Tony D.

[Jerry B.]

 

As Don Johnson said, "I don't know what movie they're making, but it ain't Miami Vice!"

 

Glad to see Don and I have the same view ;-)

[Stinger390X]

Same here...

 

Disappointment!

 

Being such a fan of the series I knew that nothing could compare, but I have to admit I did pay money to go see it in the theatres when it did come out. At least the movie version I saw had the boat race in the beginning but when the videos came out they cut out all the opening sequences with the boat race? All I could say was WTF?

Eventually the Dvd's were released and the scenes were put back in again.

 

Why do they do that??????????????????????????????????????????????????.

 

All in all...I usually fall asleep when I pop in the dvd as I find there is no chemistry between the characters and the plot is a rip off of many of the best episodes of the series.

 

 

My expectations were low and they were founded when I went to go see the film.

[James]

Same here...

 

Disappointment!

 

Being such a fan of the series I knew that nothing could compare, but I have to admit I did pay money to go see it in the theatres when it did come out. At least the movie version I saw had the boat race in the beginning but when the videos came out they cut out all the opening sequences with the boat race? All I could say was WTF?

Eventually the Dvd's were released and the scenes were put back in again.

 

Why do they do that??????????????????????????????????????????????????.

 

All in all...I usually fall asleep when I pop in the dvd as I find there is no chemistry between the characters and the plot is a rip off of many of the best episodes of the series.

 

 

My expectations were low and they were founded when I went to go see the film.

A regular VHS tape can only fit 120 minutes of video. The movie goes for 134 minutes.

[Yann529]

Just for memory, the Unrated Director's Edition Opening Sequence

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEDAjqq1vUU

[Guest MetroVice]

Post Retracted

Edited October 16, 2015 by MetroVice

[viceystyle]

I just can't bring myself to watch that movie. I probably never will. I've looked it up and it's exactly what I thought it would be from the looks of it. They just aren't Crockett and Tubbs, and the movie just is not Miami Vice. That's why I honestly hope they never ever do a re-boot or re-make of the television series. Whichever actors they get just won't be Crockett and Tubbs. They won't act like them, they won't have the personality, the style, the rapport together. Also there is the matter of the setting and the way it would be done. If they try and set it in the eighties, it won't look eighties. It will just look like a t.v. show from present day trying to look eighties but failing miserably. If they set it in this era well it will be also be terrible, and they would just use the latest Katy Perry tunes or rap songs or Lady Gaga or whatever other crappy music is mainstream these days. It just won't have the slightest semblance of a vicey feel. And the entire atmosphere just won't look like it at all either. The lighting, the vibe, the feeling just won't be there. It will look like the movie looked, dingy and with the same atmosphere that is found in all the current television out there. So really I've seen all from the movie that I want to see. I don't think I could ever watch it one day, nor do I have any interest in doing so. Miami Vice just needs to be left as it is, as anything they make now will not faintly resemble it, the only common thing would be the title and names. Too bad we can't go back in a time machine and add several more seasons to the show, as it should have been. And if they want to do a movie like this or a new cop series set in Miami, then they shouldn't call it Miami Vice or try to pass it off as re-make or something related to MV.

[Vincent Hanna]

I'll defend the movie, Okey It's probably one of Michael Mann's weakest but it fits among his filmography of Thief, Manhunter, Heat, Collateral, Public Enemies quite nicely and it's made in a similar vein and tone. The digital cinematography is legitimately beautiful and I usually hate digital compared to film. Colin Farrell and Gong li are fantastic. The story is basically a remake of Smuggler's Blues so those wishing for a remake of the Pilot aren't THAT far off. I'm not a fan of Jamie Foxx and apparently he's the reason why they had the crappy ending in the miami harbour, because he refused to shoot in south america.

 

I get a feeling that from hearing Mann in interviews and just being a big fan of his movies that the "Miami Vice Movie" is what he originally intended the show to be like before everyone and their mother had a say in the creative direction and before it became a design by committee type thing, like any creative venture with a large sum of money involved becomes.

 

So Instead of expecting to see Crockett and Tubbs with their witty banter and Girls just wanna have fun montages, I think of the movie as a spiritual successor to Thief, Heat and Collateral about loners who are highly trained at what they do on both sides of the law and then it becomes a pretty decent crime thriller. It's flawed but by no means unwatchable. I know it might be hard for you guys to watch a different interpretation of a show that you've loved for 30 years but I'd recommend you guys atleast check out the film if you've never seen it before. Similarly, I'm sure people can watch the Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson Starsky and Hutch without it tarnishing their memory of the original series. I think Mann deserves some credit for doing an ultra serious crime film and taking the material seriously when a lot of the remakes during that time were spoof comedies. If you could choose between the film we have or a Ben Stiller remake where he plays Crockett and Robert Downey Jnr. in black face as Tubbs. It could have been ALOT worse

[Crockettt]

It's a good movie as long as you don't refer to Miami Vice groundbreaking TV Show. Farrell and Fox as Crockett & Tubbs, Fat, black guy played Castillo, it's a joke, isn't it?

Edited February 22, 2015 by Crockettt

[Touch of Class]

I recently read a thread on Patou Pour Homme (Sonny's signature fragrance) on the Basenotes forum. The thread dates back to 2005, and there are a couple of amusing opinions on the then-upcoming Miami Vice film. I quote:

 

p.s. Michael Mann is currently filming a new Miami Vice movie starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Fox, which I hear from a former student of mine who works on the set is going to REALLY SUCK, but let's see.

 

Colin Farell and Jamie Foxx?????!!!!!

[...] the person responsible for that casting needs to be shot!

 

Obviously quite a few fans were skeptical prior to the film's release! It certainly was not a bad film at all, but one should know the risks when associating a new production with the revered Miami Vice series.

[Vincent Hanna]

I don't know, because I REALLY like Colin Farrell in it. He's really good.  lol

 

Again i'd give him Kudos for not trying to be Don Johnson and be his own character. It's kinda like when Roger Moore became bond and it was still cool, even though his character was nothing like Connery's. Lazenby gets criticised for being TOO much like Connery.

 

I would be up for someone to do a Miami Vice movie set in the 80s though  that sounds awesome but they'd have to CGI the Miami Skyline or something because there'll be a lot of modern architecture in there that would be anachronistic and it'd be expensive getting all the old cars and stuff.

[airtommy]

The two main things I was expecting from the movie came up completely empty.

 

One thing Mann was good at was making you feel a place.  In Prodigal Son, you are immersed in NY.  The creators of that ep had an idea of what NY felt like and they projected into your psyche.  The same with Miami on the MV TV show in the first two seasons (before they replaced John Nicolella with Dick Wolf).  You didn't just see the heat, you felt it.

 

I wasn't expecting the old Miami look and vibe in the movie.  I expected Mann to come up with a new look for Miami, as the city had changed.  I expected the new vision of Miami to be darker and grittier.  What shocked me about the movie was that it delivered NO VIBE, no feeling, nothing.  You weren't experiencing Miami, you were just seeing some people do some stuff there.  The movie could have been set and filmed in Cleveland and that wouldn't have changed it at all.  

 

The other thing I was expecting was ACTION.  As I settled into my seat, I told my friend, "At least there will be a lot of good action".  When I walked out of the theater, I couldn't get over how little action there was.  There were some meticulously crafted gun battles.  But no action.  A movie about boat smugglers without shots of boats racing around?  If I were a movie studio exec, I'd ridicule Michael Mann about this every time I met him in person.

 

There were other things I didn't like about it, but this isn't a general movie review thread.  The original cast issue shouldn't even be discussed here, since you knew going in that the old cast had not been hired.

[Vincent Hanna]

1. Alright but to be fair very little of movie actually takes place in Miami but it DOES have that carribean, latin america feel to it which is what I think Mann was going for. Miami isn't the cultural melting pot it once was for crime, it's now a stepping stone rather the destination. So if Crockett and Tubbs stayed entirely in Miami for the whole movie then they would be battling low level pimps instead of the big fishes.

 

2. There IS a suspicious lack of action in the film but the few action scenes there are, derive from the plot and integral to the story. I don't think it was intended to be an action film

 

Overrall I think it's no less of a film than Collateral and Public enemies. They're all around the same in quality and style

Edited February 22, 2015 by thedeparted94

[viceystyle]

I agree that the issue isn't whether it's a good or bad movie or whether they're good actors or not. The issue is that it just isn't Miami Vice, and they just aren't Crockett, Tubbs, Castillo, etc or even faintly resemble the characters. That eighties atmosphere is gone, and no one else can play the parts besides DJ and PMT. I haven't watched the entire movie, only small clips/snippets, and I also agree that there was no feeling of a place. Just like most of the stuff that's out there these days, it might as well be filmed in a basement in Cleveland. Everything is so nondescript and bland.