Michael Mann
Miami Vice

THE REVIEW

You recognize genius when you encounter it. And watching a film by Michael Mann like 'Miami Vice', you realize that genius is there. It most certainly is. Because you can make a great film in various ways: you can captivate the viewer with enchanting landscapes, make them cry over a love story, impress them with special effects, or thrill them with heart-pounding shootings and chases. But you can also create a perfect blend of all these elements and make a film that envelops the audience, guiding them throughout the movie, making them fall in love with the characters (who are always crucial, as they are in all of Mann's films), allowing them to get lost in the colors and images.

The film is based on an old TV series of the same name, of which Mann directed some episodes, but it's a single story about two policemen who must infiltrate a drug ring to dismantle it, and the mission is far from easy; Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx are forced to rely on unlikely covers, avoiding spies and counterspies; they get hired for a job by a shady drug dealer, but Mann immediately takes us into this dirty and harsh world, where a simple "business" discussion risks turning into a massacre. But what complicates the lives of the two agents the most is the relationship that develops between Farrell and an alluring Gong Li, perfect in her role as the femme fatale, wife of Jesus, the big boss of that mafia branch. The film displays a splendid play of glances, both between the characters and those Mann directs at the landscape, nature, and the (underworld) life. Opening with a splendid nightclub scene (a nod to Mann's previous work, 'Collateral') where the images follow each other at an impressive speed, it concludes with the only large-scale shootout of the entire film.

The action scenes are few, but their absence is not missed; instead, the dance scene of Farrell and Gong Li is exquisite; purely unnecessary for the narrative, yet it is shot with great clarity by the director, who successfully captures the most passionate and sensual aspects of the dance. Mann pays close attention to colors and lights, making 'Miami Vice' more colorful than 'Collateral' (even though it doesn't quite reach its overall level, but matching a masterpiece is impossible), and the landscapes are breathtaking, conceived in a suggestive manner that makes the emotions and concerns of the protagonists clear when they immerse themselves (too much?) in the role of traffickers. Special mention goes to the splendid soundtrack, which perfectly conveys the sensations, emotions, and thoughts of the characters.

The result is a tormented, sad, harsh but almost perfect film, not action-packed but emotional, leaving you exiting the theater with a bitter yet satisfied smile, with the impression that, in the end, there is a thin line between being among the cops or the criminals, between being angels (almost none) or damned (almost all).