Focus group and the upcoming Miami Vice movie @ mild spoilers @

***mild spoilers****

I attended a focus group screening for the new Miami Vice movie last night. The movie was still in the rough and they wanted us to take a survey and comment on the movie. Keep in mind that what I saw was not the final cut.

First thing is first. The Ferrari's, or lack there of.
Crocket and Tubbs drove a Gunmetal gray F430 Spyder. In the first half, it was featured going down a highway in Miami at night. You can see some blue flames coming out of the exhaust when Crockett was accelerating. That's pretty much it. For the climax/final shootout scene. The strike crew including Crocket and Tubbs drove to the drug drop off in BMW 6 series cars with bling bling rims. The ending scene where Crockett transports the drug lord, Isabella (played by the beautiful Li Gong), he does it in a Dodge Charger.

Overall, I think Michael Mann did well in keeping to the Miami Vice theme/story flow. Climactic action scenes, unspoken scenes where action speaks louder than words. Introspective dialog. Great soundtrack for the scenes (although we were told it was not finalized). They didn't roll the opening credits, so I'm not sure if they are revamping the theme song or using the original.

Many people in the group said that it was hard to understand Isabella's (Li Gong) dialogue. I hope they clear that up or redubb her voice for better enunciation.

The shootout scene, although rough was excellent. The sound effects for the full auto sounded real.

To me, I believe the moderator of the focus group knew what needed some polishing since she opened up discussiion then closed it by asking specific closed ended questions and we were asked to raise our hands. In particular, Crockett's relationship with Isabella and the ending of the movie. The ending was just like an Michael Mann ending, but I couldn't put a finger on why it wasn't a good ending.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie and hope our input will change the outcome, like adding more Ferrari's and using less foreshadowing with the damn thunder and lightning, sort of cliche.