New on DVD — “Miami Vice” (Unrated Director’s Edition) and “The Architect”
It might seem that a big budget action flick has little to do with a small, independent feature, but both of these movies are dark. But not necessarily in a good way. Michael Mann’s interpretation of the hit 80s TV show was supposed to be a darker, grittier, more realistic version of life as an undercover cop. That is if undercover cops fly planes, race boats and have ill-advised love affairs with the girlfriends of the crime boss they are trying to bring down. Yeah, that’s realistic.
The original TV show was hip and humorous. It had style–Miami style. Pinks and greens and sand and sunshine and art deco. The Mann version is a wash of blues and grays, concrete and shadow and sterile modernism. It’s Miami–if Miami were set in Manhattan. Chemistry between Colin Ferrell and Jamie Foxx who play Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs–zero. Chemistry between Crockett and Tubbs and their respective love interests–zero. The sex scenes are strangely unerotic, the action scenes few and far between, the final shootout is shot in dark and grainy hand-held mode making it impossible to figure out who is shooting who. Tubbs girlfriend gets kidnapped–we don’t care. Crockett’s love interest (Gong Li) is used as a hostage–we don’t care. It’s impossible to be invested in the characters or the story because the characters themselves don’t seem to relate to each other.
The same could be said of “The Architect”–starring Anthony LaPaglia as Leo Waters, the title character, Isabella Rossellini as his wife, Hayden Panettierre (Heroes) as his daughter and Sebastian Stan as his son. But while Miami Vice is dark and gritty, The Architect is dark and dreary. The story is set in motion when an activist, played by the captivating Viola Davis, from the ghetto project designed by Leo, shows up to ask him to sign a petition to have the project torn down. It seems Leo’s design–while appearing solid and sound from the outside is masking the crumbling core that threatens the physical and emotional health of its resident. Paralleling this storyline, Leo’s family is also undergoing its own disintegration.
The juxtaposition of middle-class malaise with desperation of the ghetto is at odds with generating any real emotional resonance. It’s difficult to take seriously the bottled up rage of Rossellini’s character for the joylessness of her existence when Davis must deal with drug dealers, gang bangers and toxic mold and asbestos. Leo’s son and daughter deal with their burgeoning sexuality as well as their Daddy-issues–and Leo is as detached and obtuse as to his family struggles as his is to the fundamental flaws in his housing project.
The cast does a competent job with what they have to work with, but ultimately the story stumbles and runs out of steam. It was based on a play which was set in Glasgow–so perhaps the pathos of the original story got lost in the translation and transition.
“Miami Vice” rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content, 134 minutes
“The Architect” rated R for language and some sexual content, 82 minutes
Stella Louise
LA Story .
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