Critics’ reviews

Miami Vice (2006)

10 reviews from 10 publications. Critics’ score 55: 1 positive, 6 mixed, 3 negative.

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55
Positive
1
Mixed
6
Negative
3

The reviews lean mixed, and nearly everyone agrees on the same point: this is a film to look at rather than to follow. Michael Mann’s nighttime photography of Miami draws the warmest words, with Empire going so far as to call the city itself the film’s true star. Most critics also credit the brooding atmosphere and the bursts of action with holding the crime drama together when the plot will not.

Where they part is over what lies beneath the surface. The larger group finds the story thin, sometimes opaque, and stretched across too long a runtime. The spread is wide. The New York Times admires the moody reinvention of the series, while The Guardian calls it a major disappointment despite the cinematography. Total Film enjoys the urgency between Farrell and Foxx; The Guardian finds their chemistry weak. Radio Times singles out Gong Li’s trouble with her lines, and The Skinny objects to the score and the unresolved ending.

The New York Times
28 July 2006 · Manohla Dargis
75*

Dargis gives the film a positive verdict, appreciating its moody, modern reinvention of the television series. She particularly praises Michael Mann’s atmospheric visual style.

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Time Out
31 July 2006 · Geoff Andrew
65*

The available page metadata identifies this as a review, but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. The visible description provides context about Michael Mann’s career without singling out a specific strength or weakness in the film.

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Slant Magazine
26 July 2006 · ★★½/4 · Jeremiah Kipp
62

Kipp finds the film stylish but superficial, with a thin story and underdeveloped characters that make its long runtime drag. He praises Farrell and Foxx’s charismatic screen presence, especially when they are in action.

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Empire
28 July 2006 · ★★★ · Simon Braund
60

Braund finds the film flawed and overlong, but stylish and vastly superior entertainment. He especially praises Mann’s breathtaking nighttime images of Miami, which become the film’s true star.

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Total Film
4 August 2006 · ★★★ · Total Film
60

The review finds the film a stylish, grown-up spectacle, though its drama can feel limp and over-styled. It praises the visual grit and the urgent chemistry between Farrell and Foxx, while criticizing Farrell’s swaggering performance.

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Variety
23 July 2006 · Brian Lowry
50*

Lowry finds the film stylish and atmospheric but overblown, with little substance and a sometimes opaque story. He praises Mann’s mastery of brooding atmosphere and the bursts of action that bolster the crime drama.

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Radio Times
★★ · Alan Jones
40

The critic finds the film overblown and confusing. They single out Gong Li’s struggle with her lines as a weakness.

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The Guardian
1 December 2006 · Rob Mackie
30*

Mackie finds the film a major disappointment despite its visual polish. He praises its glorious cinematography but faults the weak chemistry and mundane plot.

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Eye for Film
13 June 2009 · Stephen Carty
65*

Carty finds the film stylish and better than routine action fare, but ultimately flawed by its confusing plot and restrained performances. He particularly praises Mann’s cinematography and urban visuals, while faulting the camerawork and lack of character interaction.

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The Skinny
13 September 2006 · ★★ · Robbie Thomson
40

The review finds the remake formulaic and frustrating even as entertainment. It criticises the superficial romance, cheesy score, and unresolved ending.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate