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Michael Mann has a great track record, particularly in the cops and crime genre, so his new take on Miami Vice was much anticipated by me. Despite mixed buzz and mixed reviews, I found it to be absolutely excellent - Mann's best film since The Insider and possibly since Heat. There's never been any doubt that he can direct action, and while there are no set-pieces to match that shootout in Heat (but then that is possibly the greatest gunfight in cinema history), there is some top-notch action. For me, perhaps more important than great action though is great suspense, which is built up brilliantly in several scenes. Like with many Mann films, the narrative and dialogue is pretty dense and complex, so you do have to concentrate while watching it, but it definitely pays off (and keeping up with it is far from impossible). I really liked how it didn't spoon-feed the audience with standard exposition and set-up, and instead launched straight away into the seedy crime underworld with no explanation. When the talking comes it seems realistic and authentic. The film moves at a great speed too. I'd like to see what has been excised because the test screenings I've read about were a good half an hour longer. I felt that some of the characters were a little underdeveloped due to the pace at which it moves, but it wasn't a major issue. Mann's now-patented use of digital photography really proves its worth here, providing the film with a great, and distinctive, visual style.
The summary
Miami Vice is Mann at the top of his game, doing what he does best, and is one of the year's best films. It is certainly not for everyone; those looking for an pure action fix may well be disappointed, as may fans of the TV series, as this bears little resemblance to it.
