moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime) (09/24/84)
Perhaps the only problem with this show is that it is being compared to Hill
Street Blues, which is unfair. While Hill Street edges on the sublime,
Miami Vice is basically, at heart, just another Baretta/Starsky & Hutch type
cop show, with much better actors and somewhat better scripts, and an
incredible (at least during the pilot) visual style. There are times this
show reminds me more of MTV than of a cop show (in fact, it was advertised
heavily on MTV). The camerawork, and the cinematography, are incredible...
Miami at night looks like something out of BLADERUNNER at times. Miami is
portrayed as incredibly decedent and luxurious, and the street accents sound
very convincing; this is not a "Hunter" look-alike. I noticed they have a
"visual consultant" on the opening credits -- somebody earned their pay.
Basically this is the story of two undercover cops, one from New York and
one with the Miami vice squad. They're both trying to catch a very big
cocaine smuggler, who killed the New York detective's brother. Suffice it
to say they are not totally successful, but the New York cop decides to stay
down in Florida at the end of the pilot.
The major problem is that the characters here are just not very sympathetic;
or rather, they are not given lines which make me feel like they are real
people. In Hill Street, despite the black humor, I feel that almost any of
the characters (criminals and cops) are real people (some more than others),
albeit the strange situations they get into at times. In Miami Vice, the
plot rolls along until we are supposed to "get under" the characters
personality... they just don't ring true (the Miami Vice undercover guy has
been divorced from his wife, and is now seeing a female detective on the
side. When he describes his situation to his lover, the words he says do
not help us to understand him; instead, he seems rather shallow. The humor
that the creator/writer Anthony Yerkavic (sp?) used to put into his Hill
Street episodes is still here; the LSD-eating alligator named Elvis, and the
Judge with the courtroom armed to the teeth were very funny. But the
scripts, while OK (better than regular TV cop shows) are not anywhere close
to BLUES.
The actors who play the cops are very good, and as long as the visual
effects keep up, I'll probably continue watching this; but I would recommend
this to others with caution. If you're not impressed with technical and
camera skill, and absolutely NEED characterization, skip it.
PS: Logic also seems to be a problem here... there is a cop on the take who
is supposed to be living very well, compared to other cops; but Our Hero,
who is purer than driven snow (that's a funny, son, how come you're not
laughin'?) owns a sailboat, a Camero-like car (I can only spot Volvos and
Hondas), and a powerboat that must be able to go Warp Factor 4. Plus he
pays alimony. Must be independently wealthy.
"DANGER is my BUSINESS"
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
UUCP:
{cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsrgv}!uw-beaver \
{allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty
ARPA:
fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPAgordon@uw-june (Gordon Davisson) (09/27/84)
> Logic also seems to be a problem here... there is a cop on the take who >is supposed to be living very well, compared to other cops; but Our Hero, >who is purer than driven snow (that's a funny, son, how come you're not >laughin'?) owns a sailboat, a Camero-like car (I can only spot Volvos and >Hondas), and a powerboat that must be able to go Warp Factor 4. Plus he >pays alimony. Must be independently wealthy. Jamie Green's father (Jamie's the guy who posts from my account sometimes), who is an expert in such things (he owns a speed shop), says that Sonny's car looks like a Mongousta (sp?), which cost safely over $100,000. He says about 9 are made per year. Any bets about whether that car ever gets wrecked? As for where he gets the money, I think I can answer that. He obviously skims a little dope from some of the busts he's involved in, and if it's noticed that there's a little missing, explains that it fell overboard or got eaten by his pet alligator or some such ridiculous story. (:-) -- Human: Gordon Davisson USnail: 5008 12th NE, Seattle, WA, 98105 UUCP: {ihnp4,decvax,tektronix}!uw-beaver!uw-june!gordon