Miami Vice

For some reason I had avoided Miami Vice. I don't know why. It's a film by Michael Mann, set in the night. I love Michael Mann films. Collateral, Heat, and to a lesser extent Public Enemies were fantastic films. Collateral in particular I go back to just to marvel at the intricate combat scenes.

To me, Miami Vice is kind of like Christopher Nolan's The Prestige. It takes some of the director's favorites and puts them in a different light. There are at least two returning actors from Collateral in Miami Vice. Jaimie Foxx in particular is not a nervous cabbie, but a cool and professional FBI agent. It's jarring seeing a role change like that, given similar settings. I liked him more in Collateral, which is an all-around superior film.

Miami Vice pretty much was what I expected it to be. It's mainly about people in fast cars, or fast boats, or fast planes, set against a night sky backdrop. There is some competent action, but Mann has done better work in Heat and Collateral. There is some competent acting, but there have been better performances, Tom Cruise in particular in Collateral. 

Mann seems to have gotten into nu-metal, Chris Cornell being a favorite of his to put in his films. I might even have detected Nickelback in the soundtrack. In the end, it was okay, but not spectacular.