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Miami Vice - The Spence Edit

spence

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I'm a huge fan of this movie in its theatrical version, but I also can agree it probably would've benefitted from trimming about 20 minutes out. So that's what I'm doing!

The only other edit I've found of this movie was the Go-Fast Edition by Gekko. I no longer have it but I remember thinking it was admirable, but so extensive in its cutting that a lot of what makes the movie work for me got lost. The love stories do need to be a part of it. They just don't need to go on forever. Large chunks don't really need to be cut, the movie overall just needs better pacing.

Full Cutlist:
- Added FE warning.
- Added a credit for myself, and trying out a new logo card.
- Music in the boat race is replaced with a version of Crockett's theme. Some shots cut for time/pacing.
- Cut Sonny and Rico going to Alonzo's apartment and being told to turn around, they just go straight to the FBI meeting. A new establishing shot of Miami has been added.
- Removed Sonny repeating a line three times to Fujima.
- Cut Sonny staring out the window at Nicholas' condo.
- Cut the end of the scene with Nicholas, it now ends with "Why is this happening to me?" "Because you live a life of crime"
- Cut the scene of Yero checking out their credentials. It can be assumed he does that given they just discussed their fake identities with Trudy, and its stated multiple times throughout the film that he checked them out.
- Removed the shower/love scene between Trudy and Rico.
- Cut the end of the fake identities scene with Trudy.
- Cut some of Sonny and Rico's plane trip to meet Yero, and a bit of them walking through town to get to the meeting faster.
- cut some of the tough guy dialogue in the first Yero meeting.
- Cut the scene of Sonny and Rico clearing their hotel room.
- Cut some of the lead up to meeting Montoya.
- Cut the scene where they meet Trudy after she receives the flowers. it's more ominous if they don't get a chance to meet up. Removed dialogue referencing they are planning on meeting.
- The dancing scene in Cuba is trimmed down and moves straight into the love scene between Sonny and Isabella.
- The scene on the Cuba balcony is cut, and we go straight from Sonny waking up to the scene in the cafe.
- The shower/negotiation scene is cut, we go straight from the cafe to Sonny on his way back to Miami.
- The beginning of the scene in Montoya's house is cut, going straight to him reading the newspaper while Isabel approaches.
- Some of Sonny and Isabella's dialogue about her getting out of the business is cut for pacing.
- Sonny longingly looking at Isabel from the cargo boat is cut... generally a lot of Sonny looking longingly at things is cut.
- Some of the business with Trudy and the supremacists is cut for pacing. Also cut some of the team moving through the trailer park. Generally I cut to get the gang to her rescue quicker.
- Cut some of the business after the explosion. We now cut straight from Trudy on the ground to Trudy at the hospital.
- Some dialogue while the team waits at the hospital is cut for pacing.
- An instrumental version of In The Air Tonight plays over the team prepping to go to the final meeting with Yero.
- The aftermath of the shootout and Sonny taking Isabella to the safehouse is an amalgam of the director's cut, the theatrical cut, and my own instincts to make the scene flow better. Isabella now no longer tries to crash the car on the way there.
- A full version of In The Air Tonight plays over the end credits.

This is a fairly light edit and there's no revolutionary change involved. I just want to make a "faster, more intense" version of this film that still keep the main plot beats.
 
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bionicbob

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I absolutely agree.

Hopefully you can work in the full original version and perhaps even homage that original classic scene from the series. 🤞

For all the younglings out there who don't have the foggiest of what we are talking about.... 😂🤣😂
 

ArtisDead

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I can't wait to see how this edit turns out.
 
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spence

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Some further updates:
- Cut Sonny and Rico going to Alonzo's apartment and being told to turn around, they just go straight to the FBI meeting.
- Cut Sonny staring out the window at Nicholas' condo.
- Cut the end of the scene with Nicholas, it now ends with "Why is this happening to me?" "Because you live a life of crime"
- Cut the scene of Yero checking out their credentials. It can be assumed he does that given they just discussed their fake identities with Trudy, and its stated multiple times throughout the film that he checked them out.
- Cut the end of the fake identities scene with Trudy.
- Cut some of Sonny and Rico's plane trip to meet Yero, and a bit of them walking through town to get to the meeting faster.
- Cut the scene of Sonny and Rico clearing their hotel room.
- Cut the scene where they meet Trudy after she receives the flowers. it's more ominous if they don't get a chance to meet up.
- Cut the boat ride to Cuba, we now cut from the beach house to the bar in Cuba. It doesn't particularly matter that she can get them into Cuba, and Rico comments on it later anyway.
- The dancing scene is trimmed down and moves straight into the love scene between Sonny and Isabel.
- The shower scene is cut, but the scene where Sonny negotiates with Isabel after the shower is retained.
- The beginning of the scene in Montoya's house is cut, going straight to him reading the newspaper while Isabel approaches.
- The scene where Sonny and Isabel have sex in the car is cut.
- Sonny longingly looking at Isabel from the cargo boat is cut... generally a lot of Sonny looking longingly at things is cut.
- Some of the cargo ship drug deal after Trudy is kidnapped is cut to get to the Trudy rescue faster.
- An instrumental version of In The Air Tonight plays over the team prepping to go to the final meeting with Yero.
- A full version of In The Air Tonight plays over the end credits.

Lots of other little trims and snips for pacing throughout as well, though they're literally tiny. Currently the film sits at 1 hour 58 minutes. Original runtime was 2 hours 19 minutes, so the estimate of 20 minutes to cut was pretty accurate.

I was thinking about cutting the boat race at the very beginning, as I've always liked the theatrical version just dropping you into the middle of a sting. However, I also like setting the tone with the Miami Vice original theme now, so it's tricky. I'd save another 4 minutes by cutting it.
 

bionicbob

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I was thinking about cutting the boat race at the very beginning, as I've always liked the theatrical version just dropping you into the middle of a sting. However, I also like setting the tone with the Miami Vice original theme now, so it's tricky. I'd save another 4 minutes by cutting it.

Don't cut for the sake of cutting. It's not about runtime. It's about telling the story you want to tell. If you like it, keep it. ;) :)
 

spence

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Well it's not just for time, I actually really like the "what the hell is happening?" disorientation of just being dropped in the middle of an investigation. But, it is disorientating, and a lot happens very quickly at the beginning, even without any cuts I did.

You guys tell me. Here's the opening as it stands:

 

Dwight Fry

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Me likey! If anything, because of how it sets the proper mood in combination with the music.
 

Fran_Garcia

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Don't cut for the sake of cutting. It's not about runtime. It's about telling the story you want to tell. If you like it, keep it. ;) :)
I agree with @bionicbob. The runtime doesn't matter. It is about if you are happy with it and if it is part of what you want to tell with your edit.
 

Fran_Garcia

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Well it's not just for time, I actually really like the "what the hell is happening?" disorientation of just being dropped in the middle of an investigation. But, it is disorientating, and a lot happens very quickly at the beginning, even without any cuts I did.

You guys tell me. Here's the opening as it stands:

It works great with the music. I like it a lot 👍
 
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