Episode #43 "Trust Fund Pirates"


Ferrariman

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  • 1 year later...

Trust Fund Pirates understands it to cover a serious mainproblem of Florida in the 80s - namely smuggling via sea - with typical VICE elements and especially excellent humour by Sonny and Rico, Stan and Larry, Noogie and Hook and Jumbo.:DAdditionally it shows wonderful colours like the sunset scene or when Jackson's plane takes off.:happy::clap:It appears to me as if VICE wants to carry the pastel-look to extremes before they it changes the style in Season 3. The teaser with all these fantastic Miami pictures, a hyped Hook and the pirates is absolutely cool! I wonder about the relatively brutal scenes on the attacked boat where blood smeared dead bodies lie around - fortunately they didn't get cut!Gary Cole as Jackson is very cool. He excellently replaces Jimmy (aka Glenn Frey) because he' completely out of touch with the real world - just like Jimmy!:)I'm really fond of the modern pirates with their weapons and extravagant clothes. There's no difference between wooden-leg-pirates and the modern ones - except the fact that modern ones hunt for cocaine or crack...I especially love the final scene when Sonny and Jackson talk about Jackson's new identity. Both are looking really cool - Sonny with a Mac 10 and Jackson wearing Aviator shades!:cool:Trust Fund Pirates offers various music.Randy Newman's Miami, Simply Red's Heaven and Steve Winwood's Still In The Game are my favourites.:radio:10 of 10 points.

I really like this review and it pretty much sums it up! I like and enjoy this episode and the music, fashion, colors, the "gritty"/tragic action, the guest stars (Richard Belzer, Gary Cole, etc...) all helped make this one, one to watch! :clap:However, despite all those aspects there was also something about this episode that was...I don't know, missing. I like it okay, but it just seems like it didn't quite mesh together right or something. I gave it a 6.
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  • 2 years later...

When I watched this when it first aired, I didn't care for it. I always taped episodes & then if I didn't like the episode I taped over it. I didn't keep this one. I do remember my mother saying the scene where they're at the arcade was them showing Crockett had quit smoking.

I watched it last night and I actually enjoyed it!! It wasn't great but it was a fun episode & like has been mentioned, had some great dialogue. Genuinely funny moments. I have one question though. Who was the body in the pool in the closing scene? The shootout with the Pirates wasn't near a pool. They fell in water but not a pool. Maybe I missed something.

7 out of 10 for me.

Edited by Noggie
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  • 3 months later...

ACTOR GARY COLE ORIGINALLY CAST AS SONNY CROCKETTI do recall reading from a paperback book about the show that Gary Cole was seriously considered for the lead role. Does anyone else recall this and were there any others that were in the running ?

 

I don't think he was originally cast as Sonny Crockett--but I remember reading that book too, and Gary Cole was one of the many actors who auditioned for the part.  DJ has said in a print interview that "every swinging d---" in Hollywood auditioned for the part.

 

Ok guys, you'll see my reviews getting more in depth as MV appraoches its zenith which is season 3 for me. Can already feel the gravity of it in late season 2. Anyway, I like this epiosde and rate it a 9. Kind of a continuation of "Smuggler's Blues" with a pilot trying to get out the game theme, and the timely reference to Jimmy from season 1 was welcome. Good to see Gary Cole in an early pre-Midnight Caller role too. Nice to see Noogy in season 2. Jumbo was as annoying as hell and kept saying man all the time and looked stoned 24/7. (snipped)

 

Agree, there was a darker tone to this ep, in spite of the sunny Miami tourism bureau shots ;) and the humor (my favorite:  Crockett's expression as Tubbs said:  "Go on, shoot him.")  The "trust find pirates" were sociopaths, who had no feelings for their victims as human beings, and displayed a very ugly kind of anti-Latino prejudice.  The contrast of that ugliness and their coldblooded killing with the beautiful Miami scenes was chilling to me.

 

Gary Cole as Jackson was very good, too.  First, I liked the way he was connected with Jimmy (from Smuggler's Blues).  At first when he is shown boarding the smugglers' boat and discovering the bodies, he seems almost as callous as the pirates.  But as the episode goes on, his true humanity comes to the forefront. Although he thought Crockett and Tubbs were smugglers right up until the end, he still tried to stop the pirates from killing them--when he could have removed himself from danger and ended up with all the money he could want by joining them.

 

Some dialog I thought was very foreshadowing of C&T's future:

 Jackson:  "I'm tired of losing things."

Tubbs:  "Losing things comes with the territory."

Jackson:  "I want to leave the territory."

 

I also loved Crockett's continuously bored and cynical facial expressions during the scene at the Arc Light with Jackson's girlfriend. They made a big deal about the age gap in this episode between Jackson and Lani, but in actual fact Cole was 30 when this episode was made and Nicole Fosse was 23!

 

Crockett's expression was pretty funny during the Arc Light segment!  And I guess Jackson was supposed to be a bit older, while Lani at one point mentioned her age and she was (I think) 20 or 21--would be coming into her inheritance soon, but did not have full access to the money yet.  She did act more like a 15-year-old!

 

Overall, I didn't think much of the episode initially, but it grew on me the longer I watched and the more I thought about it.  I will rate it a 7. 

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  • 1 year later...

I agree with the majority who say that this episode is enjoyable due to its scenery, fashion, and music.

One standout is the scene between Skip and Jackson at the crack house. Extra point for the Lynyrd Skynrd song.

However, my favorite is the scene inAirplane Hell. "Shoot em" made me laugh.

It would've been cool if Glenn Frey came back for this one.

7/10

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just watched this one again...perhaps this has been asked and answered before somewhere...but does anyone know what the abandoned place was, that was the "junkie" house? Was it an old hotel or house somewhere? It looked too "real" & elaborate to be a set that was made up to look like an old abandoned druggie lair. Just curious! :cool:

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the miami vice wiki lists it as the Biscaya House. I think it was a hotel since demolished.

 

 

I love this episode ! especially the scenes on the water !!

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11 hours ago, ViceFanMan said:

Just watched this one again...perhaps this has been asked and answered before somewhere...but does anyone know what the abandoned place was, that was the "junkie" house? Was it an old hotel or house somewhere? It looked too "real" & elaborate to be a set that was made up to look like an old abandoned druggie lair. Just curious! :cool:

Yes it was the Biscaya Hotel and was demolished not long after filming - was located on West Avenue by the Macarthur Causeway in Miami Beach:hippie:

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1 hour ago, AzVice said:

the miami vice wiki lists it as the Biscaya House. I think it was a hotel since demolished.

 

 

I love this episode ! especially the scenes on the water !!

Here it is in 1981 - you get a nice view of it in the teaser of Season 1s "Nobody Lives Forever " in 1985 as the punks head over the bridge in the car:hippie:

Image result for biscaya hotel miami beach

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20 minutes ago, Matt5 said:

Here it is in 1981 - you get a nice view of it in the teaser of Season 1s "Nobody Lives Forever " in 1985 as the punks head over the bridge in the car:hippie:

Image result for biscaya hotel miami beach

Oh, ok, that's why the name sounded familiar...it was built in the 20s and originally was the Floridian Hotel--for the rich and elite. I think Capone liked to stay there in the 20s & 30s. It later closed during WWII, and reopened after as the Biscaya Hotel...but could never recapture its elegance.

However, I'm not sure that pic is from 1981...I think the hotel was officially condemned and shut down in the 70s (the last several years it was mainly used as almost a half-way house). 

The beginning scene of Smugglers Blues--where C&T, Castillo & Trudy, and a DEA agent meet in an abandoned hotel was also filmed here. This makes sense now! This hotel and the Blue Waters (The Maze and French Twist) were both torn down in mid to late 1987.

Thanks, Matt5!! :thumbsup:

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On 3/30/2012 at 8:13 PM, The real McCarthy said:

ACTOR GARY COLE ORIGINALLY CAST AS SONNY CROCKETTI do recall reading from a paperback book about the show that Gary Cole was seriously considered for the lead role. Does anyone else recall this and were there any others that were in the running ?

Yes I remember something about this - but not originally - later in Season 3 when DJ and Producers were trying to work out his salary for the beginning of Season 3. 

It was said that if there was agreement - Gary Cole could have been offered the role of Crockett:hippie:

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  • 2 years later...

I’m a big DJ fan but think Gary Cole might just have worked in the Sonny Crockett role, got that cool but serious feeling about him.

At the end he’s offered a clean slate. I wonder how many of us would go for that. New name, clean record, probably a bit of cash in the bank, all the previous  worries gone. Tempting at certain stages of life!

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1 hour ago, Buddy Love said:

I’m a big DJ fan but think Gary Cole might just have worked in the Sonny Crockett role, got that cool but serious feeling about him.

At the end he’s offered a clean slate. I wonder how many of us would go for that. New name, clean record, probably a bit of cash in the bank, all the previous  worries gone. Tempting at certain stages of life!

I agree, and Scott Plank from the episode "Red Tape" would have worked in the Sonny Crockett role as well.

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  • 4 months later...

I love this episode! The whole vibe, places, everything.

The arcade looks nice, and the abandoned house with the junkies looks realistic, too. Even the lightblue room inside the plane where Jackson is looks nice.

When they parked the Ferrari outside the hangar 'I've been here before..', beautiful take.

And Argentina is mentioned once again :D!

 

I'll give it a 10/10

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1 hour ago, Sebax said:

I love this episode! The whole vibe, places, everything.

The arcade looks nice, and the abandoned house with the junkies looks realistic, too. Even the lightblue room inside the plane where Jackson is looks nice.

When they parked the Ferrari outside the hangar 'I've been here before..', beautiful take.

And Argentina is mentioned once again :D!

 

I'll give it a 10/10

If I remember correctly the scene of the abandoned building with the junkies was filmed again inside the old abandoned Floridian Hotel...previously used for the beginning scene of “Smuggler’s Blues”, where Castillo, Crockett, Tubbs, and Trudy secretly meet with the DEA. 

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7 minutes ago, ViceFanMan said:

If I remember correctly the scene of the abandoned building with the junkies was filmed again inside the old abandoned Floridian Hotel...previously used for the beginning scene of “Smuggler’s Blues”, where Castillo, Crockett, Tubbs, and Trudy secretly meet with the DEA. 

Yes. The now destroyed Biscaya Hotel was at 540 West Ave. 

It can be seen in a few MacArthur Causeway shots, like this one from the “Nobody Lives Forever” teaser. 

47A1E78C-AFB5-420C-8D82-CF15775CB5AF.png

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On 5/29/2017 at 5:11 PM, Matt5 said:

Yes it was the Biscaya Hotel and was demolished not long after filming - was located on West Avenue by the Macarthur Causeway in Miami Beach:hippie:

Bye Bye Biscaya ;(

There is actual footage of the demolition.

 

Edited by RedDragon86
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9 hours ago, Dadrian said:

Yes. The now destroyed Biscaya Hotel was at 540 West Ave. 

It can be seen in a few MacArthur Causeway shots, like this one from the “Nobody Lives Forever” teaser. 

47A1E78C-AFB5-420C-8D82-CF15775CB5AF.png

Yes, The hotel was originally called The Floridian Hotel— I’ve seen some pretty fancy vintage postcards from the 1940s. It was pretty cool!  In later years the name was changed to the Biscaya Hotel, and I think the clientele had definitely gone down, by the time it closed. 

6 hours ago, RedDragon86 said:

Bye Bye Biscaya ;(

There is actual footage of the demolition.

 

 Yeah, I’ve actually seen this destruction footage of the Floridian Hotel (later the Biscaya) before, and also I have some pictures online I came across once. Pretty wild! I also have some pictures of the destruction of the Blue Waters Hotel, from episodes The Maze and French Twist. Sad...I love history, and I think buildings like that could’ve been saved and restored. ;( 

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  • 1 month later...
32 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

I don't understand why these rich youngsters are ripping off drug dealers. 

They are already wealthy, why risk it?

Maybe they were just like Christine Van Marbourgh in By Hooker By Crook. She wanted to get back at her wealthy family, and like she said, the money was all hers. 

Edited by mjcmmv
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The thrill. Think of them as a high-end version of the kids in Nobody Lives Forever. If they supposedly had everything, what's left to do when that gets boring?

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1 hour ago, RedDragon86 said:

I don't understand why these rich youngsters are ripping off drug dealers. 

They are already wealthy, why risk it?

A lot of rich kids supposedly get bored...as they literally have any&everything they want or need, plus. In their minds there’s no “excitement”. They decide to live on-the-edge or start doing wild, crazy things for thrills...not money. However, some have never been taught morals or boundaries either...and they end up with no conscience.

If they would use their brains along with their checkbooks/debit cards, and do something useful or helpful with their money, they could have fun but do something worthwhile as well—like youth projects or something. Personally though, if I had money I’d be collecting cars & traveling. ;)

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31 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

The thrill. Think of them as a high-end version of the kids in Nobody Lives Forever. If they supposedly had everything, what's left to do when that gets boring?

I do agree with what you are saying, but they were committing murder on weekly-monthly basis out of boredom?

They were psychopaths then.

 

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9 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

I do agree with what you are saying, but they were committing murder on weekly-monthly basis out of boredom?

They were psychopaths then.

 

Sure. That's kind of a common trope with plots like this. Rich kids raised with no consequences or concept of consequences develop no moral compass and start to believe they can do whatever they want just because. They start chasing thrills, and find that killing is the biggest thrill of all. Helping others does nothing for them because it's not an immediate thrill. The other part of the trope is they've never seen their parents help anyone, so why should they?

Edited by Robbie C.
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  • 4 months later...
On 8/21/2009 at 6:21 AM, rodriguezisdead said:

There definitely is something about the style of this ep - yet again for Season 2 - which is so compulsive that you want to forgive plot weaknesses to an extent. The sunset at the end, girl out of the ocean montage, skylines in some of the background throughout the ep, the bit where C&T pull-up at Cole's warehouse was it(?) at dusk-time looks awesome, etc. Cole does well

Great review, I agree with all of this. 

This ep has a really weird dynamic:  the plot is poorly written and doesn't make sense, but the dialogue is excellent.  It's a cool looking episode, the basic idea is funny, and the dialogue is snappy.   Just don't get too wrapped up in the details of the story and you'll enjoy the ep a lot ...

... and now I'm going to dive into the details of the story.  :)

What exactly was going on with the DJ?  Can anybody explain these warnings he delivered to Jackson and Jumbo in his radio monologue?

"Captain Hook's got the blues.  Captain Hook thinks something's rotten in Hook town.  You want to know the truth?  You came to the right frequency.  Captain Hook's worried about his listeners, babies.  But hey, hey, hey truth with a capital T.  It ain't my job to worry.  Ain't that right?   Let me hear you say "yay"."

"... a righteously dedicated ditty, for flyboys everywhere but Jackson, in particular.  Watch how you use your wings, baby.  They're the only ones you got."

"This little number goes out to a real good pal of the Captain's.  Lives out in Sweetwater, with his lovely bride, Fluffy.  This one's for you, Jum-Jum.  Watch where you're walking, who you're walking with.  Yeah, dig what I'm saying, Jumbaline, this one's for you."

 

Edited by airtommy
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