Mill Creek had previously released the theatrical cut of the 2006 film Miami Vice as part of a barebones Jamie Foxx double-feature Blu-ray. However, a new Walmart-exclusive Steelbook release offers both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film, as well as many legacy bonus features.

While undercover trying to take down a sex ring, Miami-Dade police detective Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) receives a disturbing call from an old informant, stating that he has been compromised but that he didn’t give up any information on Crockett or his partner, Ricardo ‘Rico’s Tubs (Jamie Foxx). Crocket makes some calls to try to find out what the informant had been working on, and ends up connecting with FBI’s Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Fujima (Ciarán Hinds). He informs them that the DEA, ATF, and US Customs had created a joint task force to take down some ruthless gun & drug traffickers, and that now their operation has been compromised, with several of their agents dead. The task force still doesn’t know where the leak came from, or what kind of counter-intelligence technology these traffickers have at their hands. Since Crockett and Tubbs are unknown to these guys, they come up with a plan to send them in undercover to infiltrate the arms & drug operation. Crockett uses an old colleague to vouch for them, and soon they are flying a large shipment of drugs from Haiti across the US border to prove themselves to the boss, Montoya (Luis Tosar). However, Sonny has other ideas and starts to get romantically involved with Montoya’s second-in-command, the beautiful Isabella (Gong Li). Tubbs worries this may compromise the operation, but Crockett assures his partner that he knows what he’s doing. However, his actions start to raise suspicions from another cog in the operation, Jose Yero (John Ortiz), which puts their mission and the rest of their team in danger. Can Crockett and Tubbs identify the source of this massive drug and arms trafficking operation, locate their counterintelligence technology, and take them down before it’s too late?

Miami Vice is a darker reboot of the classic 1980s series about a pair of undercover vice detectives chasing down criminals in sexy, sunny Miami, Florida. Michael Mann’s feature film update of the franchise really captures the look and feel of the original TV series, with its fast-paced action, drugs, guns, sex, fast cars and speedboats. Even the fashion is a nice callback to the original series, with the guys wearing suits similar to their TV counterparts. While there’s no replacing the iconic Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, Farrell and Foxx do a great job of bringing these classic characters back to life. The film feels a bit of a grittier and more grounded than the TV series, which was a bit more flashy. While there is still all the sex and explosive action that you would expect from the franchise, the story also gets a bit more dramatic, exploring how the detectives blur the lines between their personal and the professional lives.

Universal had previously released Miami Vice on HD-DVD and Blu-ray in 2008, and the majority of the supplemental material has been carried over to this release, including both cuts of the film, an audio commentary from writer/director Michael Mann, and nearly an hour of behind-the-scenes featurettes. Missing from Universal’s release are some cast bios and production photos, and a pair of picture-in-picture features—the first was an on-screen map that followed the action of the movie, and the second was a track that reused content from the commentary and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

The presentation is generally quite good. Daytime scenes look excellent, with a clean and clear picture. However, the darker scenes (and a good portion of the film takes place at night) can be very noisy and gritty, and the colors can be a bit washed out. However, this seems to be Mann’s desired look for the film, and how it has always been presented, even when it was in the theater. So while I personally don’t care for this, it’s not really the fault of the Blu-ray encode. The audio track fares better, providing mostly clear dialogue—though in some cases it’s a little hard to follow (but again, this seems to be how the film is meant to be). When the action kicks in, this is where the track really shines, filling the room with the chaos of gunfire and explosions, the engines of speeding boats and planes, etc. There are several scenes that take place in night clubs, and the whole ambiance comes to life, with the music kickin’ and the murmurs of the crowd enjoying themselves.

This new Walmart-exclusive release comes on a single Blu-ray disc placed inside a beautiful-looking Steelbook case—the interior and exterior of which can be seen below.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:12:10 Theatrical, 2:19:14 Unrated)

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:
This release ports over the majority of material from Universal’s 2006 release. Features are presented in 4:3 letterbox format. Missing are two picture-in-picture features—the first was an on-screen map that followed the action of the movie, and the second was a track that reused content from the commentary and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Universal’s release also included some cast bios and production photos, which have not been ported over.

• Miami Vice Undercover (13:02)
  The cast, crew and former law enforcement individuals talk about the allure and challenges of undercover work, some real undercover cases, and more. The crew also plays a prank on Colin Farrell, making him believe he’s part of a real drug buy gone wrong. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director/producer Michael Mann, Miami-Dade police officer Roy Rutland, DEA undercover agent Towanda, former federal undercover agent Robert Mazur, and stars Jamie Foxx (“Tubbs”), John Ortiz (“Yero”), Naomie Harris (“Trudy”), Elizabeth Rodriguez (“Gina”) & Colin Farrell (“Crockett”).
• Miami & Beyond: Shooting On Location (10:00)
  The cast and crew discuss the challenges and benefits of filming on location in Miami and South America, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director/producer Michael Mann, director of photography Dion Beebe, security advisor Jim Milford, set decorator Jim Erickson, transportation captain Howard Bachrach, and stars Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Justin Theroux (“Zito”) & Barry Shabka Henley (“Lt. Martin Castillo”).
• Visualizing Miami Vice (12:41)
  The cast and crew discuss Michael Mann’s vision and eye for detail, the look of the film, shooting the film digitally, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with stunt coordinator Artie Malesci, transportation captain Howard Bachrach, set decorator Jim Erickson, writer/director/producer Michael Mann, director of photography Dion Beebe, aerial coordinator Craig Hosking, aerial photographer Hans Bjemo, special effects coordinator Bruce Steinheimer, and stars Colin Farrell & Justin Theroux.
• Behind the Scenes Featurettes
  More raw behind-the-scenes footage. Presented in 4:3 Full Frame format. Select from:
  • Gun Training (2:46)
    The cast learn weapon handling and shooting.
  • Hatian Hotel Camera Blocking (2:57)
    Director Michael Mann blocks out a scene with stars Colin Farrell & Jamie Foxx.
  • Mojo Race (4:29)
    The crew members show off the 40-foot MTI race boat, and discuss its design, and the challenges of filming on the rough sea. Includes interviews with supervising art director Seth Reed, key grip Scott Robinson & cinematographer Dion Beebe.
• Feature Commentary (2:19:14)
  Writer/director Michael Mann provides an interesting and informative commentary on the unrated cut of the film. He talks about the differences in the extended version of the film, shares lots of production stories and discusses the challenges of the shoot, and more.
• Theatrical Trailer (1:54)

Final Thoughts:

Miami Vice is some of Mann’s best work, and does a nice job of evoking the feeling of the original series, but also gives it a more gritty and modern feel. Mill Creek’s Blu-ray release comes in a beautiful new Steelbook case, and restores both cuts of the film and most of the bonus material that had been included on Universal’s original Blu-ray release. The presentation itself is a bit problematic (though not the fault of this release). For those who collect Steelbooks, or don’t already own a copy of this film, this will make a great addition to your collection.