Miami Vice (1998)
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Written by Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, based on the TV series created by Anthony Yerkovich
Jim Carrey as Det. James "Sonny" Crockett
Will Smith as Det. Ricardo Tubbs
Rosie Perez as Det. Gina Calabrese
Robert Downey Jr. as Det. Larry Zito
Chris Penn as Det. Stan Switek
N'Bushe Wright as Det. Trudy Joplin
Alfred Molina as Lt. Martin Castillo
Powers Boothe as Capt. William "Mr. Real Estate" Maynard
Gary Busey as Hank Weldon
Roberto Benigni as Izzy Moreno
Tracy Morgan as Neville "Noogie" Lamont
and
Burt Reynolds as Albert Lombard
Trivia:
Best known as Will Smith's first of two back-to-back comic spins on dramatic television series, both of which were unmitigated failures critically and commercially.
Universal expected this film to be a huge hit during the 1998 holiday season due to the high star power and established property; however, the film had an absurd $120 million budget and only made $103 million domestically.
Latino advocacy groups protested the film's wild stereotypes, particularly Roberto Benigni's overly flamboyant performance as Izzy Moreno.
The film draws from several arcs of the show's run, particularly the characters of William Maynard, the chief villain, a rival of Crockett; Albert Lombard, a Miami crime boss; and Hank Weldon, a mentally unstable ex-cop who has intel on Maynard (a plot point not used in the show).
Fans of the show, as well as creator Anthony Yerkovich and show executive producer Michael Mann, hated the film's comedic slant, which was thought to have cheapened the show's impact. Ironically, co-star Will Smith would go on to work with Mann on
Ali. Mann himself was originally slated to direct but backed out to make
The Insider. When Schumacher stepped in, the contemporary original screenplay by Scott Frank was discarded and retooled as a comedic vehicle set in the 1980's.
Eddie Murphy turned down the role of Ricardo Tubbs, fearing that starring with Jim Carrey would detract from his role in the film's publicity.
Roberto Benigni had been garnering Oscar buzz for his film
Life is Beautiful, but in spite of a Golden Globe victory for Best Actor, he lost the Oscar to Edward Norton for
American History X. The loss was primarily contributed to his role in this.
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Anyone who is doubting that I meant this as a serious recast needs to wake up. This is completely satirical, and hopefully, you'll laugh and cringe as much as I did when I thought this up.
