Product Description
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In Miami Vice: Season Two, the electrifying Emmy-nominated and
Golden Globe-winning season, Vice cops Sonny Crockett (Don
Johnson) and Rico Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) are back in their
sleek Ferrari pursuing every ruthless criminal under the
relentless Miami sun. With a sizzling soundtrack of all the
original hit songs remixed in 5.1 Surround Sound, including music
by Phil Collins, U2, The Who and more, it's no mystery to see why
Miami Vice is the supercharged action series that People magazine
hailed as "the first show to look really new and different since
color TV was invented."
.com
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In its second season, Miami Vice walks that fine line between
hip and cool. Hip fades, but cool is timeless. Then, as now, it
doesn't get much cooler than this groundbreaking and trendsetting
series' promise of a "life of adventure, exciting folks, and
exotic locales," to quote one sardonic character. But the
compelling stories, cinematic trappings, and
lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between costars Don Johnson and
Philip Michael Thomas elevate Miami Vice from time
status. Likewise, the eclectic soundtrack, that would be
painfully dated had it been stuck in the '80s, is a mind-blowing
shuffle of genres and mainstream, alternative and world artists.
"Prodigal Son," the double-length episode that opens the season,
features Glenn Frey, U2, the Neville Brothers, Debbie Harry,
Brian Ferry, Lou Reed, Traffic, and Phil Collins. Collins himself
portrays a con man in one of the season's most entertaining
episodes, "Phil the Shill." Not content to just be heard, other
musicians who generally eschewed television, appeared on Miami
Vice this season, adding to the series' considerable cachet.
Among them: Kiss frontman Gene Simmons ("Prodigal Son"); Miles
Davis ("Junk Love"); Leonard Cohen ("French Twist"); Ted Nugent
("Definitely Miami"); and Frank Zappa ("Payback"). Miami Vice
instantly established itself as an oasis for character actors,
many at the beginning of their careers. The second season offers
early glimpses of Nathan Lane ("Buddies"), Harvey Fierstein and a
pre-Seinfeld Michael Richards as a menacing heavy ("The Fix"),
David Strathairn ("Out Where the Buses Don't Run"), Bob Balaban
("Back in the World"), and John Leguizamo ("Sons and Lovers,"
which also features the unfortunate stunt-casting of Lee Iacocca
as a -toting parks commissioner).
Most of Miami Vice's buzz-generating episodes were in season 1,
but season 2 offers several series benchmarks. Two of Johnson's
finest hours are "Back in the World" (which he directed) and
"Buddies," two episodes that explore Crockett's Vietnam War
experience. Thomas got his chance to shine in "Prodigal Son" and
"Sons and Lovers," in which Tubbs becomes a target of the
vengeful Ivan Calderon. "Bushido" is an always-welcome showcase
for Emmy-winner Edward James Olmos as Castillo, who helps shield
an associate's Soviet wife and son from the CIA and KGB. "Out
Where the Buses Don't Run" boasts an Emmy-worthy performance by
guest star Bruce McGill (D-Day in Animal House) as an unhinged
former vice cop. Miami Vice stylishly subverted TV cop drama
convention, but despite one too many downbeat endings that freeze
on a devastated Crockett, it remains exhilarating to re-visit.
There are no extras on this three disc-set, but the episodes are
enough to make you want to party like it's 1985. --Donald
Liebenson