To hear the opening beats of Jan Hammer's
percussive, propulsive Miami Vice theme is to be instantly
transported back to 1984. But this groundbreaking series, with its
cinematic sensibility, cool clothes, and killer soundtrack is no
mere blast from the past. It still rocks. This three-disc set would
be worthless if it didn't. Music was an integral part of Miami
Vice's hip vibe. The soundtrack propelled the stories and
established the mood like no series before it. So the first thing
you want to know is: Have the music rights been secured for this DVD
release? In the pilot episode, does Phil Collins's "In the Air
Tonight" still play ominously as vice undercover cops Crockett and
Tubbs speed toward a bust? Does Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight"
serenade Sonny and Gina on his boat in the episode "One-Eyed Jack?"
And what would the benchmark episode, "Smuggler's Blues" be without
Glenn Frey's instant classic? From the Rolling Stones on a boombox
to Elvis Presley singing "Rubberneckin'" on a TV, Vice's
cutting-edge soundtrack has been preserved and honed in 5.1 surround
sound glory.
Miami Vice made stars out of Don Johnson, Philip Michael
Thomas, and Edward James Olmos, who won an Emmy as the intense,
taciturn Lt. Castillo (watching him bust some martial arts moves in
"Golden Triangle" is like Yoda cutting lose in Attack of the
Clones), but the first season also offers time-capsule glimpses
of actors on the cusp of stardom, including a pre-L.A. Law
Jimmy Smits in the pilot, a pre-Crime Story Dennis Farina in
"One-Eyed Jack," and a pre-Moonlighting Bruce Willis in "No
Exit." Miami Vice put a neon sheen on cop-show convention.
Its fashion sense (pastel suits, no belt, no socks), and the
brilliantly employed freeze frames are still arresting. Miami
Vice was a TV watershed, and this DVD set does it full justice.
--Donald Liebenson
