Customer Reviews: Outstanding October 26, 2006 Joao Machado (Portugal) 9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Great series. I hope the remaining seasons become available soon. Season 2 has some of the most legendary episodes, including "Bushido" (were Edward James Olmos's Lt. Castillo shines), "Phil the Shill" (with Phil Collins), "Definitely Miamy" (with French beauty Arielle Dombasle) and "Bought and paid for" (with portuguese Joaquim de Almeida as the vilain). Not to mention some of the best 80's soundtrack and tunes.
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br /Definitely a good buy.
TV at its greatest September 3, 2007 Brendan O. Clarke (Edinburgh) 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The release of the MV series DVDs comes at the perfect time to answer the critics with poor memories who are now stupidly hailing the new "Vice" film as "darker and grittier" than the TV series. They forget how dark and gritty---and how timely, potent and groundbreaking---the original series was. The art direction, music, colours, the "cool", were innovative, but mere superficialities. It was the political narrative that was the heart of this series. "Miami Vice" carved open the hypocrisy of America's "war on drugs" like nothing before, or since.
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br /"Prodigal Son" was a stunning standalone two-episode movie with Crockett and Tubbs pursuing Colombian drug lords all the way to New York, and the centre of world finance, and to America's own involvement in the drug economy. This unprecedented epic was possibly the series' zenith.
br /"Out Where Buses Don't Run" was a poem on obession, bitterly poignant.
br /"Back in the World" brought back the ghosts of the Vietnam War, and US covert operations.
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br /The influence of Miami Vice can still be felt today. It is no exaggeration to say that it quite literally changed the way television was made. For the first time, a TV show effectively had no budgetary constraints -this was no shoestring affair, but a massive, revolutionary approach, and you could tell (Each episode had a budget of $1million plus; D.Johnson was paid a staggering $60,000 per episode, over twenty years ago!!). It even resonated in the film industry, and it did no harm to Michael Mann's career.
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br /The acting was always good, particularly in these early series, and the leads were fluid, natural and worked well together. The same goes for the rest of the cast, who all knew just what they were about.
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br /Direction was always good -cinematic, but with heavy use of slow-motion, abrupt cuts and dramatic endings that were almost always unpleasant. It made effective use of great songs and the award-winning Jan Hammer scored MV until his departure during season 5.
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It back July 31, 2006 Mr. Marc Taylor (UK) 17 out of 17 found this review helpful
The greatest TV series of the 1980's, great programme, great music, great fashion (in the 1980's it was), just a great programme. I have been waiting for this box set for a good 6 months and was worth the wait. The only down side is that the packaging is a let down when compared to the first series as it is completly different packaging which is put to shame next to the first series packaging and there are no extras. But if you like the series you will love the set.
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