sticking it to the mann

the media portrays director michael mann as a calculative, meticulous and tireless filmmaker. but miami vice is, essentially, a roll of the dice ... as an industry friend noted is the case with most hollywood films.

it comes as little suprise then that mann's film is very hit and miss.

i know, i know--i've previously defended the film by the skin of my teeth. but, despite my willingness to overlook mv's shortcomings, it's time to stick it to the mann.

the film opens at a downtown nightclub in miami. sonny crockett (colin farrell), rico tubbs (jamie foxx) and their crew have staked out a some kind of sex-club ring and are about to take a perp down. mann introduces the characters from a far, using telephoto zooms and very little dialogue as expository introductions. crockett hits on a portugese bartender, exhibiting a charm and nonchalance that says he's both professional, but shoots from the hip. the crew is about to take down the perp when crockett gets a cell call and learns that a different undercover operation has gone bad. he and tubbs must intervene. crockett takes the call outside near the top of the skyscraper, a scene that showcases dion beebe's crisp, but intermittently (surprisingly?) hackneyed, photography.

from this opening sequence along one can surmise the more or less what's to come: crockett, being flirty and forceful; tubbs, tenacious but timid; copius masturbatory overkill (a.k.a. neverending go-boat and havana sequences set to moby, audioslave and other regrettable soundtrack choices--scenes that either amuse or fall flat, but never quite hit the nail on the head.

even gong li, the most interesting part of the film, wears out her welcome. at first, she's a bold, mysterious chinese-cuban businesswoman, but quickly falls victim to the crockett's youthful charms. this, no doubt, doubles as a mann's man's fantasy--crocket (mann) seducing the exotic cocaine dealers, rescuing her from the dangers of the paramilitary drug trade lifestyle by means of good ol' red-white-and-blue justice.

after a second (sober) screening, the film's understated plot and unabashed machismo were less amusing and more so insipid. per my friend's comments, it's not like mann's actually crafting something into a desired or intended outcome. nope. just rolling the dice.

conversely, there are redeeming elements, albeit twofold, like the cool but indulgent shots of lightning and thunder clouds that decorate mann's posh urban mise en scene. too bad everyone seems lost in the storm. B-