Your all-time top 5 Miami Vice scenes


Daytona74

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Hello,

it looks like we haven't had this thread as such... if we did, apologies...

But can you name your all-time top five scenes from the series?

Here are mine (it was actually much harder than I thought to single out my top five favorite scenes out of all those countless great moments :p):

 

Number 5:

buses.jpg

The ending of Out Where The Buses Don't Run. Great conclusion to a spooky episode, and what's not to love about "Brothers In Arms"...

 

Number 4:

homeinvaders.jpg

The Home Invaders, where they are poring over the case files late at night at the office. Absolutely genius and one of the best uses ever of Jan Hammer's music.

 

Number 3:

bushido.jpg

Bushido, where Castillo recognizes Jack Gretsky on the surveillance tape. Miami Noir at its finest.

 

Number 2:

goldentriangle.jpg

Golden Triangle Pt II, Castillo and Lao Li together in the limousine. Even finer example of Miami Noir. And I love the vintage Mercedes 600 ;)

 

Number 1:

lombard.jpg

Lombard, the scene between Lombard and Crockett on the boat. My all-time favorite episode to begin with, but this scene captures its essence.

 

Honorable mention:

downforthecount.jpg

Down for the Count Pt I, Switek finding Zito in the locker room. Intense scene, and as such, a worthy farewell to Larry.

Edited by Daytona74
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Those are all awesome choices man. It's hard to think of the all time 5 so I'll put scenes that are memorable.

5. The end of "Milk Run" when one of the kids gets shot down at the airport in slow-mo. That end shot of Crockett sitting on the floor covered in blood with the slow version of Jan Hammer's "Rain" playing. Those feels man.

4. The end of No Exit with Phil Collins "I don't care anymore", reminded me of the ship yard shoot out at the end of 2006 movie (but in a good way)

3. The end of "Bought and Paid for" when Gina finds out about Odette's suicide.

2.  Castillo beating the Thai Assassin in a back alley fist fight in Golden Triangle. My favourite Castillo moment:cool:

1. The opening of Yankee Dollar with Par Avion playing. That's one of the best uses of licensed music imo. Amazing.

17 minutes ago, Daytona74 said:

Golden Triangle Pt II, Castillo and Lao Li together in the limousine. Even finer example of Miami Noir.

 

I LOVE that scene. Lao Li and Menton are just smug little a-holes all throughout that ep, made Castillo taking them down that more satisfying.

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Gas Station scene in Evan is my number one.

then end of Out where the buses don't run,

end of Good collar,

end of Milk Run

and final scene of Death and the lady

 

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Ok here goes. 

1. Little Miss Dangerous - Rico and Jackie talk in the safe house when she says, "I was just a physical substitute." (of course)

2. Viking Bikers from Hell - The teaser's night motorcycle scene when Reb returns from prison.

3. Out Where the Busses Don't Run - The outdoor scene where Sonny calms Hank down and then they drive in the convertible.

4. Tale of the Goat - Voodoo Party and Rico gets drugged.

5. Lend Me An Ear - Duddy, sweeps Dykstra's House on the stairs to music.

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1. Crockett convinces Robbie to do the right thing.

2. Crockett convinces Robbie to do the right thing.

3. Crockett convinces Robbie to do the right thing.

4. Crockett convinces Robbie to do the right thing.

5. Crockett convinces Robbie to do the right thing.

honorable mention: Crockett convinces Robbie to do the right thing.

:thumbsup:

Edited by Dadrian
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Not sure if this is my all-time top 5, just what I could come up with off the top of my head. I'm currently in my Vice off-season, starting again on the 1st of December, the first day of summer. 

5. Out Where the Buses Don't Run - Brother in Arms Scene

4. Crockett convinces Robbie to do the right ring

3. Crockett and cousin Jack in the alley

2. In The Air Tonight

1. Evan - The powerful scene at night at the gas station with Tubbs. 

Eh I don't know.

Honourable mentions - Two scenes in Bought and Paid For,  the car chase at the beginning, and the nightclub scene including when Odette's mother arrives at the airport. I love those, and that episode.

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1.  The final scene of Out Where the Buses Don't Run

2.  Stan shooting the tv in Phil the Shill

3. Castillo's introduction to the Vice team in One Eyed Jack

4. The opening scene of Yankee Dollar

5. The final scene of No Exit. 

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8 hours ago, Vicefan7777 said:

1.  The final scene of Out Where the Buses Don't Run

2.  Stan shooting the tv in Phil the Shill

3. Castillo's introduction to the Vice team in One Eyed Jack

4. The opening scene of Yankee Dollar

5. The final scene of No Exit. 

Number 2 is funny!!:D

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Forgot about the In The Air Tonight driving scene, gotta be in my top 5.  How could I forget that? ?(

Edited by miamijimf
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vor 1 Stunde schrieb miamijimf:

Forgot about the In The Air Tonight driving scene, gotta be in my top 5.  How could I forget that? ?(

yeah... :thumbsup:

One scene I also keep coming back to is where Castranova gets whacked by Armstrong at the beginning of "Hit List". I'm not a gun expert, but you can appreciate that a lightning fast "double tap" like that takes an amount of skill to do in front of a camera that just goes far beyond usual weapons training for actors.

Rumor has it that that actual scene was used in law enforcement training for a number of years, because it was just such a perfect illustration.

 

EDIT: I just noticed something... Armstrong lifts the shotgun in the passenger seat slightly by its grip with his bare hand, right before he slips on his latex gloves. Shouldn't that have left fingerprints on the shotgun? Am I missing something, or wouldn't that be kind of a rookie mistake?

armstrong-hitlist.jpg

 

Edited by Daytona74
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Agree, that's a great scene and touching the shotgun could be a mistake.  Jim Zubiena could hardly be considered a rookie when it comes to guns. He is one of the top marksmen in the United States.  He has won several prestigious titles in shooting competitions and is considered as one of the most qualified specialists on the .45 ACP Pistol. His abilities impressed so much the writer & director Michael Mann, that he decided to give him his first break as an actor in Miami Vice and in Manhunter (in which he also served as weapon handler).  He is also known for his work on Band of the Hand (1986) and Long Road Home (1991).  That actual scene attracted the attention of the gun enthusiast and law enforcement communities and was really used in law enforcement training for a number of years.  He is a really nice guy and is a friend of Vice fans.  I exchanged several emails with him.  He said that it was just an ordinary M1911 type .45 in the scene.  Oh and he is also a Country and Western singer.  For a lot more info about Jim check out:

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php?/topic/320-a-clarification-and-a-thank-you-from-zubiena/&tab=comments#comment-12203

 

Edited by miamijimf
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That's why I'm saying... Zubiena is a pro, and Michael Mann was a perfectionist with just about all things visual on the show. Michael Mann didn't do anything by accident. So why let a top-notch international hitman commit a mistake like that?

Then again, when you really think about it, there would have been his fingerprints all over the car either way... he should have just worn a pair of chauffeur's gloves throughout the scene... :)

Edited by Daytona74
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So many great scenes already mentioned!  Mine are about the same as most others already listed.  Some of my favorites but they might change from time to time:

1.  Ending of Out Where the Buses Don't Run

2.  Crockett walking back into OCB HQ in Redemption in Blood to the song, Don't Give Up.

3.  Opening scene of Yankee Dollar with Par Avion playing.

4.  In the Air Tonight driving scene

5.  The scene where Castillo and Jack Gretsky meet after so many years

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On 8/13/2017 at 4:46 AM, jenny said:

oh, I didn't think of that!   great option!   Ill have to do that!

 

On 10/25/2017 at 2:23 PM, Daytona74 said:

 

yeah... :thumbsup:

One scene I also keep coming back to is where Castranova gets whacked by Armstrong at the beginning of "Hit List". I'm not a gun expert, but you can appreciate that a lightning fast "double tap" like that takes an amount of skill to do in front of a camera that just goes far beyond usual weapons training for actors.

Rumor has it that that actual scene was used in law enforcement training for a number of years, because it was just such a perfect illustration.

 

EDIT: I just noticed something... Armstrong lifts the shotgun in the passenger seat slightly by its grip with his bare hand, right before he slips on his latex gloves. Shouldn't that have left fingerprints on the shotgun? Am I missing something, or wouldn't that be kind of a rookie mistake?

armstrong-hitlist.jpg

 

The guy who played Armstrong was a trained firearms expert . I read someplace that he taught his craft to mercenaries and military personnel .

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  • 2 months later...

One from each season.

1. The In The Air Tonight scene from Brother's Keeper.

2. The ending of Little Miss Dangerous.

3. The Blood and Roses montage from The Savage.

4. The ending of Deliver Us From Evil.

5. Crockett and Tubbs' confrontation with Baker towards the end of Freefall.

 

So many more but I can't think this morning.

:)

Edited by Remington
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Tough topic for me to decide beyond my top two. 3-5 could have been several scenes, I just picked 3 that I really like.

 

1. The scene from Prodigal Son where Crockett and Tubbs finally meet and have their discussion with the villainous Wall St banker, JJ Johnston. (my favorite scene in the entire series and very well written).

2. The ending of Definitely Miami with Godley & Cremes "Cry" playing.

3. In the Air Tonight driving scene from pilot episode.

4.  The scene from Payback when C&T meet Fuente on his yacht, culminating in a shootout and eventual making Fuente jump out of their boat and speeding away.

5. The shootout in Prodigal Son that begins in the apt where they find Penns character shot in the head and spills out into the broad daylight NYC street.

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On 10/25/2017 at 12:59 AM, James said:

Not sure if this is my all-time top 5, just what I could come up with off the top of my head. I'm currently in my Vice off-season, starting again on the 1st of December, the first day of summer.

Oh, you Australian weirdos with your backwards seasons and counter-clockwise flushing toilets.   :rolleyes:  :)

=============================================

I'm not going to be creative or edgy.  These are the Top 5 most impactful and memorable scenes in my opinion.

5.  Yankee Dollar - opening scene - Besides the beautiful "Par Avion", the most impressive thing about this scene is its range.  It smoothly transitions from low-key office banter to the blissful drive and then to the shock and horror of her death.

4.  Evan - opening scene - There's nothing meaningful about this scene.  It's just pure gratuitous Viceness.  "Rhythm of the Heat" dominates the scene.  It's no surprise it fits so well on Vice, since Peter Gabriel used the same Fairlight CMI synth as Jan Hammer.

3.  Out Where the Buses Don't Run - final scene  - There's a dreamy quality to the driving shots, underscoring how during the whole episode Sonny was never quite sure what was real.

2.  Definitely Miami - pool scene - Same as the "Evan" scene, this is deliciously gratuitous.  It is the most sensual scene I've ever seen on TV.  I can understand if female Vice fans aren't quite as enamored with it as us guys. 

1.  Brother's Keeper - "In the Air Tonight" - Yes, the scene is cliche by now and the song has been beaten to death on the radio, but that's for a good reason:  this was the defining moment of the entire series. 

"I need to know something, Caroline. The way we used to be together. I don't mean lately, but before. It was real, wasn't it?"

"You bet it was."

 

 

Edited by airtommy
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1 hour ago, airtommy said:

Oh, you Australian weirdos with your backwards seasons and counter-clockwise flushing toilets.   :rolleyes:  :)

You Northern Hemisphere-ists are missing out on Christmas Barbecues and New Years Eve pool parties... ;) 

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Four of my Five all-time favorite scenes comes from (Brother's Keeper).

#1 - Sonny's confrontation with Wheeler as the leak.  I trusted you!!! I TRUSTED YOU!!  So, so gripping. Which leads to the fantastic segway to..

#2 - In the Air Tonight scene, and the way they brilliantly filmed the Daytona Spyder.

#3 - Tubbs slowly walking across the dance floor to Calderone. Will Tubbs kill him?  No, he only shakes his hand.  Hospitable gesture.  So, so tense!

#4 - Crockett entering the diner to tell Maria the dreadful news that her husband is dead, holding her up from collapsing with his eyes.

#5 - (Evan) Crockett and Tubbs in the shipyard, walking away from Guzman and Evan in slow-motion, while Peter Gabriel's Biko plays.

Edited by ComplimentsofMrCalderone
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On 25/10/2017 at 6:59 AM, James said:

Honourable mentions - Two scenes in Bought and Paid For,  the car chase at the beginning, and the nightclub scene including when Odette's mother arrives at the airport. I love those, and that episode.

I love that episode too! One of my top favorites and the favorite with Gina. 

Edit: Found that clip on daily motion with many other great scenes as well somebody made. 

Unfortunately a very tragic ending to this episode. 

Edited by summer84
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As for my personal all time top 5 Miami Vice scenes... I can't choose. :D  Maybe I'll be able to decide at some other point

But some really good ones have already been mentioned. Obviously the most memorable episodes had some of the most memorable scenes. 

Edited by summer84
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On 17.1.2018 at 7:33 PM, Payback22 said:

4.  The scene from Payback when C&T meet Fuente on his yacht, culminating in a shootout and eventual making Fuente jump out of their boat and speeding away.

Just watched this again yesterday...Frank Zappa always makes laugh in that scene:

"l found out that
Burn-ett and Crock-ett
are the same guy

a biting taunt, issued by just pronouncing Crockett's name slightly different.

Edited by daytona365
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5 hours ago, daytona365 said:

Just watched this again yesterday...Frank Zappa always makes laugh in that scene:

"l found out that
Burn-ett and Crock-ett
are the same guy

a biting taunt, issued by just pronouncing Crockett's name slightly different.

Only he accentuates the the wrong syllables for parallelism. He says “Burn” in the former, and “ett” in the latter, when it should have been “Crock” in the latter. Maybe I’m losin’ it. :) 

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I read that Zappa wasn't interested in doing Vice, but his kids talked him into it. You know the ones, Dweezil and Moon Unit. :p

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