Re: Michael Mann's Miami Vice: Teaser online
For me, Mann's films, more than any other director, need a second viewing to be fully appreciated. My first viewing for every single one of this films has always been the least rewarding- even though I usually like or love them on first viewing. My first Mann exposure was Heat, and it was also my first exposure to a drama film (I used to have poor, misguided tastes, and rented it assuming it was an action picture; thus began my good-movie-watching career). It wasn't until about 2 hours into the movie that I realized what Mann was going for, and why he chose to include all those aforementioned 'small moments' that make the film so great. Ali definitely didn't didn't do it for me on first viewing (in fact, at the time I thought it was his "worst" film), but I felt oddly drawn to see it again, and now I consider it one of his best, an exceptional film in every respect. The Insider was the easiest to digest on first viewing, but repeated viewings have revealed volumes that I didn't notice before. Same thing with Collateral, which I first watched somehow assuming that Tom Cruise was the main character, and therefore missing the whole point of the movie- Jamie Foxx's transformation. The only one of his films that still hasn't/doesn't completely kill me is Last...Mohicans, although those last 20 minutes always make me completely forget about any misgivings I might have had with the rest of the movie.
I think any film in which the filmmaker does something not quite expected will have trouble gaining fans on first viewing (particularly with Ali, which didn't even remotely try to be a summation of the famous athlete's life). Vice faces similar problems, in that viewers may be expecting a bang-up action film, a rehash, or a flashy exercise in stylistic fun, and thus they may not be looking for depth- which in Mann's films is often nonverbal (Will Smith sipping on a cup of coffee, a seconds-long scene that Mann felt was important enough to add back into the DC) or buried in subtlety (Crowe and Pacino meeting in ithe hotel room in Insider), and may therefore be be doubly unnoticed. Films of this complexity, by any director, are my favorite type of movie, precisely because of how much they reveal on repeat viewings. With the Aviator, for example, I was so blown away by the acting and story, that I didn't even notice the tremendous photography and editing until later.
Chris Harvey, none of this is directed at your review- I haven't read your post yet, I'm staying away from reviews until I see the film
Regards,
Nathan
