Miami Vice

Sunday evening in Kingston, but for two escapist hours I'm deep in the gritty underbelly of night-time Miami.

From the opening frame it's a slick visual treat. Mann, ever the accomplished director, feeding us layers of widescreen attention to detail. Everything looks cool. The people, the suits, sports cars and speedboats, purple night skies, and cold neon glows. Miami Vice is stunning to watch. It should be easy to write this movie off as style over substance. However it's so well composed, and gives us so much to look at, there is a feeling of depth to what should otherwise be shallow proceedings. Grainy digital camerawork, and handheld close-ups help lend a reality and grittiness to this most unreal world of surface perfection.

A workman-like plot, both solid and predictable, takes us through the familiar cliches. Cops Crockett and Tubbs going it alone undercover to bust a drugs ring, the partner falling for the bad guys girl, clashing with their superiors, and a final shoot out. Nothing here should surprise you. There is a distinct lack of complexity in the film's plot, which ends up more a weakness than a strength.

It can at times be difficult to follow though; with functional dialogue spoken mostly in a low murmur. A few cool lines from Farrell and Foxx pepper the proceedings, but it's not the most memorable of stuff. You certainly won't come out quoting this to your friends. Oddly this seems to fit the mood and style of the movie pretty well. Visuals aside, it's a somewhat low-key affair.

The movie never really grabs hold the way you expect a crime thriller should; but you're happy to be there, watching these characters do what they do. A feeling helped by a handful of excellent set pieces, most notable of which is the final shoot out. That same night-time grain that permeates the movie, coupled with handheld pov shots alongside the participants guns. I can't easily recall a cliched setup being shot in such an engaging way before.

Ending as abruptly as it began, I wanted to stay with these characters longer. Miami Vice feels like a slice of life from a much larger world. In the back of your mind though, you know there would be little depth under that perfectly stylized and detailed surface to sustain such continued escapism.