"Miami Vice" leaves television in the dust and speeds onto the big screen in a gritty update of the popular 1980s series. Michael Mann, who was an executive producer of the original series, returns as screenwriter and director. The story revolves around detectives "Sonny" Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) and their grim determination to infiltrate a Colombian drug cartel.

When an undercover case goes sour, Crockett and Tubbs demand to be assigned to the job, confident they can do what needs to be done. Surprisingly, this is as close as the pair comes to expressing a sense of enthusiasm about their work. Big boys get big toys, but Crockett and Tubbs are joyless even as they trot the globe in state-of-the-art sports cars and super-fast speed boats. To them, it's just business as usual.

The usual business brings the partners to a variety of sketchy South American locales in pursuit of a deal with drug lord Arcangel de Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar). Deep undercover, they play hardball and secure an agreement with Montoya to transport his goods to their drop-off points. Meanwhile, Crockett catches the eye of Montoya's severe right-hand woman, Isabella (Gong Li).

While (we assume) Tubbs figures out all the necessary details of how to transport the goods to the proper authorities and bring down Montoya, Crockett and Isabella skip on over to Havana for mojitos and some smokin' seduction. They really seem to have a connection, but alas, it can never be. So it's back to work for Crockett and Tubbs as they get deeper and deeper into a dangerous situation and their identities begin to blur.

As Tubbs remarks at one point, "There's undercover, and then there's which way is up." It is a intense struggle for the pair to continue transporting drugs while waiting for the perfect moment to bust Montoya. Things become even more difficult when it gets personal and Crockett and Tubbs must protect the ones they love.

"Miami Vice" is pumped full of power, sex, speed, drugs and ammunition. And yet, somehow, it lacks adrenaline and excitement. There is no glamour or proud machismo to be found; everything is terse, tense and deadly serious. This sense of detachedness, combined with Mann's choppy filming and dimly lit scenery, wears thin over the two-plus hours of the movie and alienates the viewer. "Miami Vice" is slick and shiny, as if under a wrapper - if only we could tear it open and discover some zeal underneath.

REVIEW

'Miami Vice'

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Gong Li

Director: Michael Mann

Run time: 2 hours, 26 minutes

Rated: R for strong violence, language and some sexual content

Now playing at: College Square, Crossroads 12 and Waverly Palace

**1/2 (out of *****)