Miami Vice

• Directed by Michael Mann
• Starring Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrel, Gong Li
• As expected of Mann, this cop thriller is skilfully made. Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrel and Gong Li also deliver strong performances in their roles. Mann once again opted to use digital cameras instead of film, which gave Vice his trademark style. This worked particularly well in Collateral, where the video-look enhances the theme of confusion while also giving Los Angeles an appropriate hellish look. In Miami Vice, however, this made the bigger budget action film look a tad amateurish. Miami Vice also doesn't really try anything new. The plot is cleanly written, but uninspired and predictable. The characters constantly look like they're just one step away from delivering a great scene......only then to be yanked back by the tight leach of the script. Mann's intention was probably to create a classic genre piece, but perhaps by doing so, he limited his movie from ever reaching the standards set by his other thriller greats. As a result, overall, Miami Vice is competently made, is well-acted, is even occasionally exciting. Unfortunately, it's also utterly unmemorable. -Comment written by Dear-