Oh Smokey the Bear...

Miami Vice(dir. Michael Mann)[Original Cut]
The only differences that are readily apparent between the two cuts are the beginning and the music that is used in the final shoot out. The beginning in the original is much more abrupt given that it doesn't gradually let you fall into this world but ends up throwing you in the middle of it, expecting you to grasp what's going on. The viewer is forced to play catch up instead of simply sitting there passive. While playing catch up, the viewer might not ever grasp what's going on because a lot of the affairs and the story can be viewed as either painfully simple or painfully complex. The movie plays more of a deconstruction of itself with it's murky yet beautiful DV and giving the viewer action set-pieces that feel like another day of routine for it's protagonists. It's an anti-action action movie. One criticism that seems to be lobbed at this film often is the underdeveloped nature of it's characters. It's a criticism definitely worth noting especially since it was a problem that plagued my first viewing of the film in it's unrated form, but looking at the film now, it doesn't seem like a hindrance at all. These men are so involved in their careers that personality or character elude them since they're so preoccupied with going undercover and taking down drug lords to really care. Comparing these characters to other action characters like John McClane or James Bond shows the film's unsympathetic and honest portrayal of it's protagonists. It doesn't try to dress these characters up as smart or charming but as merely men doing their jobs. The level of professionalism in this film is downright intoxicating not just to this viewer but to the characters themselves. The romantic entanglements in the film don't seem to be really based on any traditional idea of attraction or love. The characters might find their lovers sexually attractive but that's clearly not what they find the most attractive. It's obviously an appreciation and lust for the other's professional mastery. Gong Li's businesswoman(forgot her name) barely knows Sonny before subsequently having sex with him. These type of quick sexual encounters happen all the time, but given the character's rather conservative demeanor, it feels like it must be a rare occurrence for her. The romantic encounters in this film practically play out as professional circle jerks. Mann not only uses these romances to create a sexual tension in this world of professional professionalism but to show the interchangeability and parallel nature between his two protagonists. He definitely gets this point across by having both protagonists have sex in the shower with their respective lover. Outside of the romance, the story could be viewed as fairly routine, but that's exactly what the film needed to be. It needed to feel routine since this type of work is supposed to be routine for it's protagonists so if it was super exciting in an action movie sort of way, it would feel false. A perfect example is the final shoot out in the film. If the intensity was notched up to match a film like say Live Free or Die Hard's intensity in that final shoot out sequence, this world of professional professionalism would basically fall apart. It's almost mundane in it's construction. Let's compare this scene to a scene in a film by a director that obviously has influenced Michael Mann, Jean-Pierre Melville. The heist scene in Le Cercle Rouge is comparable given it's low-key nature compared to other movie heists just like how the shoot out in this film compares to other shoot outs. The characters in that film don't scream or make a big fuss while performing the heist, they simply do it much like the characters in the shoot out of this film. Mann doesn't try to create false tension since it's a fairly routine occurrence for these characters. The film is a perfect match for it's characters' cold and precise demeanor up until the end, which is absolutely emotionally penetrating. This is where the underdeveloped nature of the characters turns into a blessing since the ending hints at development. They start appearing more human and graceful in their world of cold and precise professionalism. As you can tell, I fucking love this movie now. A rewatch was definitely beneficial, and I recommend everyone that didn't dig it the first time to give it another try. It's a masterpiece.
**** out of ****

Gone Baby Gone(dir. Ben Affleck)
Has easily one of the most haunting sequences of the year. If you haven't seen the movie yet, once you see it, you'll know exactly what I'm taking about. His approach to the material is impeccable, but the material itself isn't so impeccable. It's hard for me to stomach how this story leaves it's central mystery unresolved, moves on and then comes back to resolve it all nice and neatly. There is still moral baggage for the viewer to think about after viewing, but it's not nearly as engaging and honest as it could have been if it had ended relatively soon after the sequence mentioned above. Stories like these usually don't end on as happy of a note like this and it's narrative construction becomes readily apparent when it starts to initiate it's resolution when it was practically seamless before. I am looking forward to see what he directs next. I recommend.
*** out of ****

Planet Terror(dir. Robert Rodriguez)
The build-up is really fun, but once the action starts, it becomes increasingly tiresome. I have no idea whether Rodriguez wants the viewer to gawk at his creation or laugh at it. It doesn't matter since he's not successful when you approach his film from both ways. It's not nearly ridiculous enough in it's action to actually be fun. Give me Bruce Willis going off a jump with a snowmobile screaming any day of the week over this mediocre shit.
** out of ****