Tuesday, July 14, 2009

by Ari

This conversation about Michael Mann's Miami Vice was so persuasive that I decided to give the film another chance. That second viewing so was convincing I followed it up with a third viewing. Mann's film are about forward momentum; his characters exist and operate in the explosive, high-risk zone of their profession and work, not for backstory or explanation. There are moments of self-reflection, but few moments of actual pause. It all happens simultaneously: on the job, in the heat of the moment, in the brief second between the last surprise and the next decisive movement. "Extreme characters in extreme situations".

If you forget that, or if you expect something different, I think disappointment is inevitable the way it was for me when I saw Miami Vice in theaters. It's true that Mann seems to be building on this concept of 'extreme circumstance' from film to film. I think Public Enemies is the most all-around successful representation of this idea, but watching Miami Vice again, I was struck by how well Mann executed the subtle moments of tenderness and reflection throughout the non-stop motion and energy of the story. It's a movie about men at work, and their work is so consuming and thoroughly demanding, that when the opportunity for a drink, dance or even a quick shower actually presents itself, you can feel the tension release for that fleeting moment in time, almost as if we're taking a breather before we jump back into the chaos. Mann's recent work is about creating an immersive experience, one that grips the viewer with its brutal efficiency and takes you inside the mental state of the people who inhabit that particular lifestyle.

Some people have criticized the lack of character development in Miami Vice and Public Enemies, asking the common question, "who are these people?". But I don't think character development is what's missing in either film. Mann presents these people for exactly who they are and what they know. The work is the central focus of the movies, and how they progress through the work is the character arc. Colin Farrell's character in Miami Vice is exactly what the film shows you: gritty determination with a hidden romantic desire that has no place in his line of work. The same applies to John Dillinger (played by Johnny Depp in one of his most assured performances) only this time it's the flipside of the same coin by expressing it through the eyes of the outlaw. Heat plays it both ways with Pacino and De Niro.

How the characters live with their line of work is the exposition for Michael Mann. Sometimes as a writer Mann hits it too hard on-the-nose with dialogue like, "I gotta hold on to my angst. I preserve it because I need it. It keeps me sharp, on the edge, where I gotta be". But I think he hits the essence of the characters right on with the line, "time is luck", a line repeated at crucial, revealing moments in both Heat (De Niro to Amy Brenneman) and Miami Vice (Gong Li to Colin Farrell). For characters who live in a world defined by extreme circumstance, the way they describe that rare moment of pause explains everything you need to know about who they are.

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