Miami Vice (DVD)

Miami Vice follows the violent adventures of Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx). With Miami at the centre of a global drug trade, their job of stopping illegal trafficking is hard and dangerous work, yet they are also rewarded with gorgeous girls and local celebrity. But their access to wealth, drugs, and power is tempting, and both men continually struggle with personal demons to stay on the right side of the law. In 1984, director Michael Mann made television--and fashion--history with his action-packed, neon-lit crime series, Miami Vice. The series was a hit for five years and became a cultural phenomenon. Now Mann, who has made quite a career for himself in Hollywood, with Oscar-nominated films including Ali, Heat and The Insider, updates his small-screen hit for the movie going public, crafting a sparkling, roller-coaster ride of a movie that is perfectly complemented by its bright colours and kinetic movement. From a frenetic opening scene at a nightclub to an undercover infiltration of a South American drug cartel, the action barely lets up. And when Crockett meets the irresistible Isabella (Chinese bombshell Gong Li), the mistress of hotshot drug dealer Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar), business mixes dangerously with pleasure, on dance floors and between sheets. As he did with the television show, Mann manages to make a guilty pleasure psychologically nuanced and politically charged--eye candy with depth. And despite the mesmerizing cinematography, the actors manage to be as striking as their surroundings, turning in strong, dynamic performances.