Welcome back to another edition of The Best Movie You Never Saw. This week, we are taking a look at a more recent film, 2006’s Miami Vice. For those of you who know anything about me, you know my love for Michael Mann’s classic 1980s television series runs deep. The saga of Crockett and Tubbs is an instantly recognizable archive of a decade of excess, fluorescent clothing, rolled up sport coats, and amazing hair. Running for five seasons on NBC, Miami Vice drew heavily on New Wave culture and has remained a syndication stalwart for thirty years. Having influenced everything from video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to the storytelling format of police procedurals like Law & Order, Miami Vice returned to the mainstream in the early 2000s with series creator Michael Mann behind the camera. Only, this big screen Miami Vice is virtually nothing like the television series it was based on – or so it would seem.
Since the lackluster box office of $63.5 million domestically (plus another $100 million internationally) and divisive critical reception, Miami Vice faded pretty quickly but the stories of the troublesome production have abounded. But how is the film itself, fifteen years after the fact? Join us as we examine this much maligned but awesome Michael Mann, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx classic.
So, how did a film that grossed less than half of its budget end up becoming a cult classic? We go into it on this week’s edition of The Best Movie You Never Saw, written by Alex Maidy, edited by Edward Clark, produced and narrated by Chris Bumbray and executive produced by Berge Garabedian. Check out other episodes below!