Episode #1 "Brother's Keeper"


Ferrariman

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I think the Lou Rodriguez character was killed off way too early though. and Jimmy Smits character Eddie Rivera was too soon a casulaty as well

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I need to transfer across some of my reviews for Season 1 - starting with the best of the Season IMO....I never knew that the first shot of MV is actually one trained on Rico! So much of this ep is about him of course but I'm glad they mixed it quite a lot - to the point that it doesn't take long to realise that this show is going to be heavily about Sonny Crockett. Brother's Keeper in my book refers to both Rico and Sonny - Rico keeps his brother's memory close to his heart, whilst Sonny eventually gets to keep Rafael's brother - ie Rico himself becomes his new partner. Doesn't take long for some of the Vice style to start coming through either - even in the intro we have the club and the red neon lights outside the toilets. The longer intro credits made the ep feel even more film-like than it already is. The first shot of Sonny standing at the corner is so cool with the white suit and pastel t-shirt - he looked in a lot better shape then than he began to look in Season 4 onwards. More of the Vice style begins to ooze its way in to this ep when we see Sonny and Eddie cruising around undercover near dusk time - the lighting is mellow. Eddie's death by car-bomb is both shocking and immediately iconic - can't believe I never knew which ep this scene came from before! This scene is immediately followed by Sonny sitting in the car with Rodriguez and they begin to use an effect they played with for some time - the fading of lights in the background against a very crisp and focussed foreground. It's a beautiful contrast and is used again on the St Vitus later when Sonny is romancing Gina. So much of this ep establishes DJ as a great actor IMO - the scene between him and Maria is typical, as is the scene near the end when Sonny confronts Scotty. The tell-tale wide-eyed look of rage is something we see from Sonny throughout the next 5 seasons. Even the look he gives us when Lou tells him to mind his own business about his son's private schooling is classic Sonny - so much of his acting is all in his eyes. I love the courage the director must have had in this ep to take the time to tell a story - not always easy in a Pilot show for anything. The fine detail sometimes means so much - typical example here is when Sonny comes to Caroline's house and after they've finished their tiff they both walk away from the couches they've been sitting on and the camera just hangs there for a moment or two longer than it might do normally. Two-fold effect - one, it shows you how short a time it took for Sonny to decide where he was going to be sleeping tonight (and it wasn't going to be the couch that was for sure!), and two - it just makes the viewer pause for a moment to consider the mess that is Sonny's life - the mess on the couches and the floor and this still scene in general is symbolic I think of Sonny's life. And this was a real revelation to me if I'm honest. For some reason I've sort of assumed from the few eps I've let myself watch from S1 & 2 that Sonny only really begins his downfall from S3 onwards. To an extent that's true but I'm now sure that he is a much more complex character from much earlier on - in fact we get glimpses of this from even the Pilot ep. We see his ex-wife, his son, his failure with Gina - a habitually bad long-time lover it seems, his history with previously being shot, being a drunk for a time, serving in Vietnam, having to throw in a potentially glittering career in Football - gotta ask yourself how much that would've done to his dreams, he laughs and says 'sometimes I remember who I am', etc.etc. Rico as 'twinkle toes' is good comic relief. In fact Rico is generally so much more 'alive' in this ep it seems compared to later Seasons. So too is Sonny. Rico recalling the flashback of his brother's murder is a good plot development and I also like the way we don't find out exactly who he is until later. More classic Vice style is set in the scene when Leon and Sonny are on the boat at night - kind of reminded me a little of Lend Me an Ear from Season 3 (which again I think took this kind of style to another level). The green and red lights are classic. Love the scene on the St Vitus where they punch eachother. The use of Elvis is hilarious - and Rico's line is perhaps the funniest thing I've heard him say since we reviewed Season 3 and in one ep he asks the cab driver 'Do I look Russian to you?' Here he says 'I don't even like alligator shoes!' - that made me laugh out loud for a minute or two... Great camerawork on the St Vitus too - as Tubbs walks onto the boat we see it slowly panning across from the side - little details, but for the early 80's this was a big deal, especially for a UK watcher. More great camerawork elsewhere actually throughout the ep - after the carbomb the camera swings down from somewhere on high - again, a rarity in the early 80's for a TV show. Wardrobe for C&T in this ep is superb. I love the style of the suits they give both of them - those styles are timeless IMO, unlike some of the baggier cuts we see from Season 4 for example. Sonny also wears a great black t-shirt later on. Even Sonny's shades are cool. Izzie as Trini(?) is great - even he gets a cool blue/cyan suit to sport in the club! I liked Gina and Sonny this early on - the interaction is so playful and fun early on, before Sonny screws it up big time mentioning Caroline's name later on (isn't that a guy's worst nightmare?! God I hope I've never done that to my wife - muttered a previous flame's name in my sleep or something....) More great crisp footage when Sonny and Rico are driving in the car together and Rico suspects Lou - the light is shining off everything. I love the way these two are in each other's faces so much in this ep - this is written and acted-out extremely well. More classic Vice themes are introduced even this early on with the theme of the cop going 'bad' through temptations. More classic Vice style with the final twist of Calderone escaping the jailhouse and then Miami altogether. Of course one of the best scenes of the whole show lies in the Air Tonight drive. Can't review this ep seriously without some mention of this scene. This scene actually is pure genius - especially the stop-off at the phone booth to call Caroline. This to me says so much about Sonny - he is seriously screwed-up even this early on. You hear about people losing their moral compass, well Sonny seems to have lost his way in his life generally - he wants to know that there was once a time that he had a wonderful life and love and his life actually made sense. Caroline re-assures him that it did genuinely happen and that he's not dreaming. Seems like this man is already drowning in mistakes and having to live with their consequences. I love the way Phil Collins' lyrics 'I remember - I remember don't worry...' shatter the silence in the conversation between Sonny and Caroline just at exactly the same point as Sonny asks Caroline to remember their past. Genius. After the real effort it's been to watch some of Season 4 and 5 over the last few months, this Pilot is like a breath of fresh air. I will revisit it often in years to come. Definitely 10 out of 10.

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Just got back from a short vacation yesterday afternoon. Not looking forward to going back to work. So I decided the best way to extend my vacation was to "take a trip to Miami." So I re-watched the pilot movie for probably the 25th time. And consumed way too many adult beverages.Why can I still watch this and never get tired of it? Only in Miami is Cuba so far away ...BTW, I think there was a question a while back about the name of the band playing in the club where Rico shook Calderone's hand. I noticed that the bass drum said "Mirage," so that's probably a safe bet.

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Rodriguezisdead, your review is phenomenal! The Pilot is the first Miami Vice movie, I watched after about 10 years. I heard "In the Air Tonight" on the PA system in a model home in Florida & recognized it as being from MV. That gave me such a renewed hunger to see Miami Vice. So, I rented the "Pilot" on VHS. Luckily, it was being shown on TNN, I think, then on Spike, then I found a MV website & I was completely hooked and the DVD's finally came out.My point is the "Pilot" laid the ground work for the total Miami Vice experience!

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This was a great pilot to start the series. They portray Crockett as a rough and tumble cop with a checkered past. He is still a good cop, but he has a past. Lt. Rodrieguez points this out at the beginning as does Tubbs later on when he is discussing Crockett's record. You can tell that they were still trying to work out the issues of style and fashion. What is up with Crockett's sunglasses? I am glad he got rid of those and started wearing the Wayfarers. They started making Zito and Switek look like a bunch of clowns from the beginning. The bail hearing scene with Leon is great. The lights go out and then come back on and everyone in the court room has a gun pointed at him. The great thing about Miami Vice is that Michael Mann always put as much realism in the series as possible. When Sonny is talking with Caroline about the divorce rate in police work that is real. The statistics are real. The scene with Crockett and Tubbs driving in the Daytona in order to catch Calderone with Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight" is classic and nothing else needs to be said about. This is the episode that started it all. I definitely give it a 10.

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Well, there's nothing much to say after all those clever reviews. :clap: I have to confess - I hadn't enough time and patience to read them all in detail, but at least I've tried... Maybe later... :oI voted 10, it's one of my favourite eps. That fight between Crockett and Tubbs on a boat is one of my favourite MV scenes ever! Just hillarious... And also the chase and the argument after it, when poor Lou tries in vain to put in a word, and then loses his patience and shouts:"Shut up, Crockett, and I'll explain!" :thumbsup: Of course there was much more to this episode, I've just recollected the funniest moments, which also told us a lot about main characters.

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  • 2 months later...

I absolutely love this episode. I just finished watching it for the sixth time. I never get tired of the Brother's Keeper. Last night I watched "Freefall" and tonight, when I watched "Brother's Keeper", it was like fresh wind. Everything is so different and perfect. Music is so good, acting is good, everything is good. It has been, is and will be my favourite Miami Vice episode. I have seen the scene where Rico steals Sonny's boat a hundred times, but it's still so good. The scene where Rico meets Elvis is really funny. 'Hey, I even don't like alligator shoes'. And I love the scene where Sonny and Scotty are talking to eachother just before the 'In The Air Tonight' scene begins. Btw, anyone knows the Jan Hammer's music piece when Sonny walks to Scotty's house? The scene where Sonny and Scotty are in daytona is so sad. And then comes the legendary 'In The Air Tonight' scene, absolutely gorgeous, fantastic.. I don't have words to describe this feeling when I watch this scene. The ending is real good. I felt so bad when the episode ended, because I wanted it to last more.I'm going to watch it again tomorrow :)I give it 10. :happy:

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I'm going to watch it again tomorrow :)I give it 10. :happy:

My God, Kristina, your review makes me want to watch it again myself! :fireworks: Never boring. I also like that scene with Sonny and Scotty very much (if I got you right - I seem to forget guest characters' names all the time...) Makes me really feel for Sonny, who was deceived and betrayed, and he surely hates to be deceived, above all... Don Johnson is very impressive when acting angry. :)P.S. A little off-topic question: do you know where does the picture in your profile come from? I mean Don Johnson in a white hat. Looks funny, maybe it's from some movie I haven't seen...
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My God' date=' Kristina, your review makes me want to watch it again myself! :fireworks: Never boring. I also like that scene with Sonny and Scotty very much (if I got you right - I seem to forget guest characters' names all the time...) Makes me really feel for Sonny, who was deceived and betrayed, and he surely hates to be deceived, above all... Don Johnson is very impressive when acting angry. :)P.S. A little off-topic question: do you know where does the picture in your profile come from? I mean Don Johnson in a white hat. Looks funny, maybe it's from some movie I haven't seen...[/quote']Great. :) And it's not Scotty, it's Scott.. Saw it when i watched Brother's Keeper yesterday. My bad.. I have always thought that it's Scotty not Scott. And the photo is from Matthew Rolston photoshoot. I will post it in Miscellaneous Vice Photos thread.
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  • 1 month later...

Hell, he really does... :eek: I've never even thought of this before. :) Well, it's explainable - "Brother's Keeper" is the first episode, and characters' images are not completely established yet.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Actually there was an interview with Don I saw three years ago, where he said that it was he who actually decided to take off his socks and start rolling his sleeves to try and keep cooler during the intense Miami heat while he and the crew were filming. I think reading between the lines, for the pilot he wore whatever they wanted him to wear, however they wanted him to wear it. Then once he'd got a foot in the door on the first season he realised just how hot it was to be filming on a daily basis, and decided to improvise. The producers let him run with that look and then suddenly everyone started saying "that Miami Vice.. why does that actor never wear socks and always roll his sleeves up? What's that about?". Soon everyone was copying his style, which has since amused Don because his intention was never to create a fashion trend, it was just to keep cool!Can you imagine if Don had gone down the same road as say David Beckham, and started doing modelling work and advertising cologne and stuff? With everyone copying his style he could have made more from those ventures than he did working on Vice!

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The pilot gets a 10 from me. I just love everything with this epi. If there is any friend that has not seen MV I always show the pilot since here are all ingredients included.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Brother´s Keeper is the start of the best cop show ever !!!:happy::happy:The first 10 minutes approve that and show how cool a TV series can be in modern times.:happy:With this series we are going into a new kind of TV -> MODERN TV.Scenes are veeerrrryyy long and silent, faces and mimic is filmed in close-ups, fashion and music is up to date.:clap:We see two completely different characters of cops: SONNY CROCKETT - the cool and tough guy with brilliant clothes. RICO TUBBS - the "teenie" of both cops, with a lot of humor and easiness.In addition the plot is fantastic. A lot of gunfight, explosions and chase amongst the tropical sun of Miami !:thumbsup::thumbsup:Latest chart music is played which is wonderful: Somebody´s Watching Me by Rockwell, All Night Long by Lionel Richie and of corse IN THE AIR TONIGHT !!!:radio::radio:What more could you ask for ???My rating: 100 of 100 points
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  • 6 months later...

I love the "Pilot" TV movie!! It truly is an electrifying and sizzling start to one of the most superb shows in TV history!!Martin Ferrero was also hilarious as "Trini Desoto" before he became the moronic/annoying recurring regular "Izzy Moreno." :) The music, color, Miami art deco buildings, plot, dialogue, and interactions with the characters/actors are awesome! Of course my favorite scene is the Daytona speeding through the Miami streets with Phil Collins singing "In the Air Tonight" in the background! :cool:Anyway, I gave this a 10. However, the next chapter (so-to-speak) in the Calderone saga is actually my favorite episode/s of first season--the 2-part "Calderone's Return" (aka "Hit List" and "Calderone's Demise"). "Smuggler's Blues" also comes in very close with me, to being my favorite...followed probably by either "The Great McCarthy" or "Evan."

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  • 2 months later...

The 0NE that started it all, much love for Brother's Keeper.Back then, I recall how much it played out like a feature film with a great soundtrack and amazing visuals.Definitely changed the game, for how future cop dramas were conceived and executed. Thank You Michael Mann and Anthony Yerkovich.:clap::clap::clap:

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 months later...

For those of you that are new to this site like I, I originally critiqued this episode on the other site. The pilot was one of the best episodes of Miami Vice because it gave a look deeper into the characters that would become household names. I've seen this episode probably more times than any other episode and it is fresh today as it was back in 1984. With the technology upgrade today it could definitely be a hit on TV today. The story was fresh and exciting and helped make Miami a big time city. It left you wanting more and you knew great things were yet to come.

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  • 1 month later...
Today I've watched this terrific episode in English at the first time!!!:happy::happy::thumbsup:So far I watched VICE in German, but it is a completely new feeling watching it in the original language, because emotions and mimics of the characters are much more real.I love Brothers Keeper because this episode shows the begin of the best cop-show EVER !!!]:happy:It's extremely different of all the other shows, which were shown in the 80s and of course today!!!Michael Mann creates a mixture of crime and drama, covered with glamour and extravagance.Brothers Keeper is very stylish for the early years because the clothes are very bright and revolutionary.:clap:Already in the first 15 minutes, hard and brutal everyday life of a cop is shown detailed: on the one hand Rico lost his brother and wants to revenge him, on the others side a burnt-out Southerner named Sonny Crockett is shown, whose life had been cruel to him.:cool:Both charakters are entirely different, but are associated due to one man - CALDERONE.Although Calderone isn't continuously present, the audience feels his constant threat.:hot:The scenes where Sonny comes to his old friend and former partner Scotty Wheeler are so moving and emotional - everybody can see how a wonderful actor Donnie is!!!:clap:Subsequently one of the best moments of the whole series and the BEST car-scene of TV follows: Sonny and Rico race to the meeting, supported with In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins !:happy::happy::radio::radio::radio:I love this song so much! Thanks to Fred Lyle for this great great song in this great great scene !!!The end of this world-changing episode of the best series is also revolutionary: Calderone ESCAPES.THERE'S NO HAPPY END AT ALL !!!
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I think my only regret about Calderone getting away at the end of the Pilot was that they (Michael Mann and Co.) brought him back too soon. They should have waited until the end of Season 1.

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This Episode made history or rather vice history.How can you not like this episode its what started Miami Vice and the famous scene with the daytona wheel going around to the song in the air tonight with Phil Collins.I love this episode.I love the music,the scenery,the people this pilot made what the show is today.Love it :D

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This Episode made history or rather vice history.How can you not like this episode its what started Miami Vice and the famous scene with the daytona wheel going around to the song in the air tonight with Phil Collins.I love this episode.I love the music' date='the scenery,the people this pilot made what the show is today.Love it :D[/quote'] Well said..love the Daytona shots too with the classic In the Air Tonight ;) Replay this quite a bit actually.
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Well said..love the Daytona shots too with the classic In the Air Tonight ;) Replay this quite a bit actually.

I replay that scene very often too.Just love it:happy:
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