Miami Vice
Like the film itself, the soundtrack toMiami Viceis no 1980s retro-ride. Sure, it opens with "In the Air Tonight," but it's a cover by nü metal band Nonpoint taken from their 2004 albumRecoil. Director Michael Mann's slick revisionist aesthetics are confirmed on two types of tracks. First, there are the dancefloor-friendly ones like "One of These Mornings" (a collaboration between Moby and Patti Labelle) and a house remix of Nina Simone’s "Sinnerman" by Felix da Housecat. Then there are the more atmospheric offerings, such as a couple instrumentals by Scottish band Mogwai and the last four tracks, that suggest the kind of steel-blue ambiance Mann is so good at creating (especially John Murphy's "Mercado Nueva" and Klaus Badelt & Mark Batson's "A-500"). Odder is the lack of local flavor: there's only a pair of Latin-flavored tracks, Arranca and Emilio Estefan, for instance. Not to mention that if ever there was a soundtrack that should have included at least one Miami bass song, it's this one. As for those who still associateMiami Vicewith pastel colors and the 1980s, they're better off checking out the soundtrack toGrand Theft Auto: Vice City--a video game that's actually more faithful to the spirit of the TV series than the movie that bears its name.--Elisabeth Vincentelli