New New Miami Vice

Michael Mann's "Miami Vice" has one of the best openings I've ever seen. Well, scratch that. Mann has gone back and changed the start for his new "Director's Cut," so that rather than beginning, blam, in the middle of a nightclub scene, now the film begins with a boat race prelude (as it was scripted). Yes, something that banal.

This being Mann, of course, it's still well done and kinda weird, but I miss that old start, and wonder what else is different on this disc. At least Mann has the honesty to rip on its "Director's Cut" title. Off the bat on his commentary he points out the theatrical version was his director's cut, and that this is just a different cut. He calls it "a director's revision, a month and a half or two months after he released the picture." Hmm. Mann is notorious for retooling his films, but this may be the first time I go out and get a copy of the theatrical version for the collection as well.

The club scene is still there, by the way, but its introduction is just not as striking. At the very least, it's neat to see how different something can be, free from the pressure of a looming release date and given a couple more weeks to work.

Speaking of different, I wish nearly everything was different with "Superman Returns." What a dud.