Miami Vice All Style, No Action

     Michael Mann usually makes movies that overflow with action and teem with style. While the latter of these two traits made the final cut of the lengthy Miami Vice, the former somehow missed the boat. The feel of the undercover cop picture may have changed since its television debut but it is definitely still present on the big screen. Unfortunately, the action is comparatively M.I.A.

     The plot suffers a similar fate ending up being a confusing mess that is as disorganized as it is convoluted. The audience won’t have trouble staying interested in the events being unfolded on the screen due to the overwhelming star power of Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell who lend themselves to the lead characters of the flick. However, the attention is more of a dumbfounded stare than it is being sincerely entertained.

     Foxx stars as Detective Ricardo Tubbs while Farrell stars as Detective James Crockett in Miami Vice, the roles made famous in the 1980’s television action/drama. While investigating a cocaine dealer, the duo becomes dangerously intertwined with a life of crime. Their love lives are at stake, especially since Crockett falls for the lovely Isabella, played by Gong Li, who is one of the folks that they are investigating.

     Aside from a few fast cars and boats and a couple of shootouts, there isn’t much to get worked up over in Miami Vice. Fans of the series may dislike the altered look due to the passing of time but that is the least of everyone’s worries. Miami Vice results in a gigantic waste of Mann’s talent for filming action sequences. What is there is gruesomely realistic but there may as well have been nothing at all. It is bloated with style and lacking in occurrence.