You've all heard this before....*ahem* - Once I had a fortune. It said "leave now, life is short, time is luck."

Anyways, this is like - still the peak of digital photography in movies? NOTHING else looks like this. This is one of the most lyrical, abstract and oblique films to come out of Hollywood. German expressionism gone digital - of course this puzzled many when it first came out, Mann is like a silent filmmaker here - pictures tell us a story before actors do. Moods are denoted by shades of colours in neon. And whole pools, waves of emotions revealed by the near-abstraction in the formations of a cloud.

The last time we see Farrell prior to the…

Umpteenth viewing. One of the greatest films ever. Decided to give the director's cut another go after multiple recent re-viewings of the theatrical cut, as well as all of Mann's other films, while writing my profile of him for Vulture.

Here's the thing: While the theatrical cut might be "canonical," I really really love the director's cut as well. Yes, losing the cold open in the club is wrong, but other than that, there's a lot of stuff here that works quite nicely and fleshes things out. I particularly like the way the longer version fleshes out the two male-female relationships -- especially Naomie Harris and Jamie Foxx, whose romance winds up being slightly backgrounded in the theatrical.

Also, the…

Viewed the theatrical cut, which is the version I prefer.

Michael Mann's Miami Vice is nothing short of astonishing. Simultaneously a masterful crime story as well as one of the greatest showcases for layered and metaphorically dense imagery; Mann brings his all in a film that is as enthralling as it is forbiddingly tragic. The camera moves, jolts, rockets, observes, and focuses on these individuals as they go about their jobs, and It's fascinating beyond belief. This is Colin Farrell's finest work, even with the mustache. He slips, slides, and digs deep into the character of Sonny Crockett. Along with fantastic supporting players such as Jamie Foxx, Ciaran Hinds, and Li Gong; the result is a film overflowing with absorbing…

I always hear that this is one of Michael Mann’s worst movies, and I don’t agree. It’s not his best, but it’s not Blackhat. I know he was producer on the show, but this is his version of “Miami Vice”. And it’s almost NOTHING like the show. It’s much darker, it has way more graphic violence, language and sex than an even an 80’s TV show can have! Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx are both very good modern choices for Crockett and Tubbs respectively. The action is outstanding and the story is interesting enough to get to through the movie and the writing is mostly good. Even though you get the strange Michale Mann dialogue that feels weird at times.…