Miami Vice [Unrated Director's Edition]

Sound:
There is not a lot of selections to be made when it comes to audio format. Only a Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack is provided. English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles are provided, but there is no foreign language support, nor is there a Dolby Digital TrueHD mix. Regardless, "Miami Vice" sounds pretty good in its 5.1 multi-channel surround mix, even if there isn't a Jan Hammer theme amped up for modern audiences. Much of the film is dialogue dependent and aside from a limited number of scenes featuring gunfire, engines and a sole exploding trailer, the film is very low-key in its aural experience. I found myself turning the volume up a couple of notches to comfortably hear the dialogue, but found the big explosion and gunfire sequences of the finale to be overly loud in contrast. The John Murphy score sound pretty good and music is contained in all fie channels. A few times, the score could have benefited from a little more volume, as it takes a strong backseat through much of the film. When the action does ignite, all six speakers are fully utilized. The .1 LFE channel thumps and gunfire can be heard moving through the rear surrounds. It is not the most dynamic soundtrack, but it is clean.

Extras:
"Miami Vice" is presented as an HD-DVD / DVD Combo Format release. The film's Unrated Director's Edition is contained on the high-definition side of the disc and the Theatrical release is housed on the reverse side. I'd consider the theatrical version a rather nice supplement and feel this is the best use yet of the higher priced Combo Format releases. I would have rather had both versions in high definition, but if they can swing it by using a DVD side, then so be it. Up until this release, I found little use in the Combo Format releases other than comparing the standard definition transfer to the high definition transfer. Admittedly, I did take two of these discs to my older brother's house so we could watch them, but for those who would actually purchase a Combo Format release, there is very little reason to have to pay the extra dollars for a piggybacked standard definition transfer.

The HD-DVD side features an Unrated Feature Commentary with writer/director Michael Mann. This is an extremely good commentary track and the director does a wonderful job of pointing out the differences between his two versions and providing good insight into what went on in the making of the film. I had intended to only spot-check the commentary, but found myself listening to it in its entirety. I should also mention the interactive menus for "Miami Vice." Universal has finally broken free of the format they have used for the past nine months and put forth something that is a bit more 'next-gen' in feel. The menu shows a cursor in the middle of the screen and four compass points. "Setup, U-Control, Timeline and Extras" are the selections and the film resizes when the menu is open. This is very basic in experience, but it looks and works very slick-like. The Timeline allows you to select chapters or place bookmarks. A definite improvement over previous Universal releases.

U-Control also runs during the length of the film and this is the best example of the interactive aspect of HD-DVD yet. I still wish for an option where you can turn U-Control on and everything automatically pops up, but there were a few times when a couple choices were selectable. U-Control, essentially, is a menu system that allows additional content to be chosen that either populates a picture-in-picture or overlays the screen. Cast Bios, and Tech Specs provide information on either the actors in the film or on the high tech machinery found in the film. Picture in Picture brings up information on various behind-the-scenes aspects. Production Photos and GPS provide additional images detailing either the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film, or a map detailing the location of a particular scene. Though it requires a great deal of attention and work to fully enjoy U-Control, the implementation is starting to look pretty sharp.

The standard definition side features a few additional extras to reside with the theatrical release of the film. Oddly, Warner Bros.' HD-DVD bumper starts up when you begin the standard definition side. Miami Vice Undercover (13:02) details the training taken by Farrell and Foxx in learning how to portray an undercover detective by working with the real men who do this on a daily basis. Michael Mann, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx all lend time in this supplement. The second featurettes on the standard definition side is Miami & Beyond: Shooting on Location (10:01). This is a continuation of the first supplement and looks more at shooting locations and the making of the film. It does contain a few rather nice moments and some of these are recycled in the "U-Control" on the High Definition side, but is worth checking out.

Closing Comments:
I have to admit that I felt a little bit of disappointment with the cinematic retelling of the "Miami Vice" story. With Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, I did not feel that Michael Mann could go wrong. In some ways, he did. In other ways, he did not. This is a very serious toned film that throws away any humor or lightheartedness for a rock solid and plot-heavy tale featuring two detectives that have the same names as those on the television show. Yes, Crockett has a fast car and a fast boat, but those are among the limited number of similarities. The film didn't have the musical sense of the television show and instead of being 'cool', it is gritty and hard nosed. It is a film worth checking and quite entertaining, but given it takes its name from the television show, one would have expected a little more similarities. The HD-DVD is a mixed bag. The image is disappointing as well as the digital nature of the film has introduced a lot of film noise during dark scenes. The soundtrack is clean and respectable. The supplements included the entire theatrical version on a standard-definition side and a very nice commentary and U-Control during the HD-DVD playback. About a half an hour of additional supplements can be found on the reverse side.

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