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In eighties Florida the only thing standing against the rise
of crime is a man in an Armani suit and another with a mullet
and shoulder pads. Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs ("They
call me Mr Tubbs") use their style, their fast cars and
their mobile phones, the size of a house brick, to fight Miami
Vice...
Miami
Vice first saw the light of day in nineteen eighty-four.
In its time is was a breath of fresh air, providing a cop
show for the new MTV generation, whose interest resided more
in style than content. The show was created by writer Anthony
Yerovich and producer Michael Mann. It ran for five seasons.
In its day it was thought to be the epitome of cool, which
was reflected in its immense popularity.
The
current offering contains all twenty-two episodes from Season
Four, spread over six discs. Audio is either 5.1 or stereo
and, for once, an older show really does benefit from the
5.1 - adding punch to the famous Jan Hammer theme. The 4:3
Picture is a little soft and grainy and the discs contain
nothing in the way of extras. Which is a real shame, given
that the millions that watched the show did so much for Michael
Manns reputation, that you think that he could spare a few
hours doing a commentary to give something back, by way of
a thank you.
Unfortunately,
as the show was rooted in the style of the eighties, (a decade
style forgot) many of the elements which originally made the
show popular are today risible. Both Edward James Olmos and
Philip Michael Thomas (Tubbs) sport impressive man hair on
their faces, possibly so that they could deny ever being in
the show and Don Johnson (Crockett) looks every bit like a
reject for a Duran Duran look-alike contest.
Season
Four opens well, eschewing the usual big guns and fast
car chases. Contempt of Court, which moves the show
to a rather tense courtroom drama, holds out much hope for
the season. However, the early promise is often not followed
through, leading to a very uneven season, with some real stinkers.
The lack of good plot lines is reflected in the fading away
of well known actors who were willing to guest star on the
show. That said there are still some notable appearances such
as Ben Stiller, Julia Roberts, Alfred Molina and Isaac Hayes.
One
can only assume that by this point in the show the script
meetings were fuelled by exotic drugs, it is the only way
to explain why some of the stories ever got made. How about
a story of alien abduction or the need to guard mini bull
sperm - I kid you not. Thankfully they must have sobered up
at some point as at least half the episodes actually sport
good stories.
This
then is really a set for fans. If you want to know what made
the show popular I'd start with the stronger first or second
season.
Charles
Packer
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