One Paragraph Review: Miami Vice

In the hands of another director, this exact script and cast turn into a film that I spend 1.75 paragraphs hating on with a thesaurus in my hand. Why then, am I not already piling on the vitriol and over the top comparisons to Satan? Style. It's really that simple. Michael Mann infuses every scene of this film with such a distinct sense of style that his work amidst a sea of Hollywood half-assed efforts is as identifiable as a Stone Pale Ale among a pile of cheap massbrews. Mann makes his usual cinematographic love with the cities he films in, he fuses intimate camera work with killer music choice to create sublime and intimate club scenes, and, frankly, just films the violence of firearms like nobody else does. To top it all off, the climactic shootout scene is filmed from a awesome first person long-shot perspective that evokes the first time you fired a real firearm or played Rainbow Six. Simply put, theres so much directorial flare here that the often lame script and reserved acting performances are just along for the ride.