Miami Vice (Unrated Director's Cut)
by Michael Mann
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DVD details
Actor: Ciarán Hinds, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Li Gong, Naomie HarrisDirector: Michael Mann
Brand: NBC Universal
Cinematographer: Dion Beebe
Editor: William Goldenberg
Editor: Paul Rubell
Producer: Anthony Yerkovich
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: French (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-12-05
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Pictures
DVD Reviews of Miami Vice (Unrated Director's Cut)
DVD Review: Unrated version is not as good as the Theatrical Release
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is one of my all time favorites. However, I am unhappy with the director's cut Unrated version. I found the theatrical version to be a tighter knit storyline. Its flow was much better and it gave a better presentation overall.
The biggest change the viewer will notice is the beginning. I love how the theatrical version just starts without any credits, like Collateral did. The unrated version has a different beginning that has credits. In the Theatrical version the viewer is dropped into a scene and doesn't know what's going on, but we piece it together. The new beginning raises the viewer into a boat race which just doesn't deliver the same drama and excitement as the thumping club does. In addition, the boat scene only extends the period of time where the viewer doesn't know what's going on; the only thing the scene does is add some beautiful cinematic skyline shots of Miami.
The handful of other "new" scenes are not needed and hurt the overall experience of this movie. Like a brief scene that shows the Nicholas character on the phone with Yero. Tubbs and Crocket are sitting beside him while he talks. This scene was pointless. We know Yero is located in the South American city; we know Nicholas will make contact and set the meet up (or at least attempt to). And realistically Nicholas will do these calls by himself without any "supervision." Seeing a scene of Nicholas on the phone for a few seconds with Tubbs and Crocket sitting there looking bored does nothing and was smartly left out of the original version.
Another scene shows Tubbs making a call to Trudy and Trudy having received flowers, then a diner meet. This scene I liked because of how it illuminated the investigative and intelligence gathering skills of Yero. Also, how Trudy told Tubbs to worry about himself cause he's in the thick of it, not her. But despite this, the viewer knows before seeing this that Yero has sophisticated intelligence gathering capabilities (he breached an FBI undercover team). And we know that the fabricated identities will be tested, layers will be breached. That is why Trudy set up a 3 and 4 level deep cover for them and they are living in a safe house. The subtle hint of saying Give My Best To Your Families, and concern on Tubbs' part that is never explicitly expressed on screen by its own scene has its allure too (and this is what the viewer gets with the theatrical version). But more so I like how the Theatrical version leads the viewer into the next phase of the movie directly after Isabella and Sonny have that prolonged gaze exchange after the meet with Montoya. It leaves the viewer entranced with that exchange. Breaking away to Trudy and Tubbs destroys the mystery of that moment.
Another scene is added after the Crocket/Isabella love scene. When I saw this picture in the theater I remember thinking how much I liked how the music during the love scene transitioned us directly to the couple in public having breakfast. It struck me as authentic; real. The added scene destroyed this flow that I liked so much.
Another new scene shows Isabella getting flex cuffed by Crocket after Crocket removes her from the final shootout area. Although this scene explains why she is handcuffed later on, it severely derails the dramatic flow of music that leads us into their separation. I also felt that Isabella slapping at Crocket while he drives her away was out of character. She may feel like hitting because she's devastated about her feelings for Crocket but she prides herself on being a "business woman." Regardless, I felt the original version does a better job of highlighting the emotion, confusion, and conflict she's feeling through her inaction (as opposed to a slapping fit).
Another change is how the In The Air song is played not at the end of the movie (like in the Theatrical release) but during the build-up to the final shootout. Although I do like this placement of the song (the editors synced it well to enhance the excitement and drama), there is something to be said for the use of the score during this part. The In The Air song energizes the buildup. But the score tends to let the images do the talking, adding realism in my opinion. When Crocket and Tubbs touch fists before driving off to the meet, the score leaves the viewer with a forlorn sense of their hesitation to go but for their obligation to each other. The In The Air placement looses this sense, but adds a more emotional jacked up experience. The scene where Switek walks into the Aryan group to see the money gives a foreboding glimpse into where he's headed. The absence of music allows this moment's magnitude to become apparent. Playing In The Air here again ratchets up the emotion but forsakes some of the innate drama inherent within the scene itself by over-dramatizing it. Each edit gives the viewer a different experience. I prefer the score though to avoid the melodrama.
The original version has some bits and pieces including whole scenes that are absent from the Unrated version. For example, I distinctly remember Crocket talking about "Skill Sets" on the roof meeting with the FBI ASAC. This dialogue does not appear in the unrated version, however. I felt this line was important because it communicated that not just anyone can step in and perform this service. Another deletion is a scene that takes place right before the meeting with Montoya in the original version where Crocket and Tubbs wait at a meet and no one shows. But this scene did nothing for the picture and Mann smartly cuts it from the Unrated version, resulting in a nice segue into the Montoya meet scene.
Overall however, Michael Mann's original cut is superior. The deletion of the scene prior to the Montoya meet is the only strength of the Unrated version. Much like Michael Mann's revamped DVD release version of Last of the Mohicans was not as good as the theatrical version, Miami Vice's Unrated version is not as good as the theatrical.
At least Michael Mann made the original version available on DVD (unlike Last of the Mohicans). It'd be nice if he put a commentary to the theatrical version though.
Description of Miami Vice (Unrated Director's Cut)
Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell go deep undercover in the explosive, action-packed Unrated Director's Edition! When detectives Ricardo Tubbs (Foxx) and Sonny Crockett (Farrell) are asked to investigate the brutal murders of two federal agents, they find themselves pulled into the lethal world of drug traffickers. From the acclaimed director of Heat and Collateral comes an exclusive motion picture experience you won't want to miss! Starring: Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Li Gong, Naomie Harris, Ciaran Hinds, Justin Theroux, Barry Shabaka Henley, Luis Tosar, John Ortiz, Domenick Lombardozzi, Eddie Marsan, Isaach De Bankole, John Hawkes Directed by: Michael MannBestsellers in DVD
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