Miami Vice (2006)

Elevator Pitch: Crockett and Tubbs are two vice squad officers in Miami, who during  sting on a prostitution ring, which also involves two female agents, discover a drug distribution operation and are authorised to maintain their cover and infiltrate the traffickers. In pursuit of their objective they travel the world and make deals in gloomy rooms with the bad guys, Crockett becoming romantically entangled with the wife of the drug lord and Tubbs being driven off course when his girlfriend, one of the female agents, is blown up.

Content:   Both couples are seen in the shower, but only their head and shoulders (could be a name of a shampoo), and also just a bit of non-revelatory sex. The guys spend what seems like half the film on the phone, each talking to different people at the same time, and similarly interact with the drug traffickers in threatening situations. Ferraris are driven, luxury planes are flown, and a completely ridiculous speed boat navigated at high speed.  Crockett and Tubbs are sometimes armed and sometimes not, and when shootouts occur it is difficult to see why.

A View: I was a  bit of a fan of the TV show which was quite light on its feet, as opposed to this offering which is almost leaden, even plodding, despite the world travel and the bling. I do have a problem with the casting of Colin Farrell, as the Crockett character. He’s Irish for a start. Aren’t there any Americans who could be Don Johnson? Many of the critics complained that he and Jamie Foxx mumbled their lines, making a labyrinthine plot even more difficult to follow. It cost an absolute fortune and probably lost money in the end. So not really a watch for nothing even if you are a fan of cop drama.

Additional Info: According to some, now being a Oscar winner, Jamie Foxx was a real pain, even refusing to fly in commercial aircraft between countries. A shame, I’ve always been a bit of a fan.