'Miami Vice' Will Be Re-Released With a Michael Mann’s Definitive Cut

Michael Mann has put together a new cut of his film Miami Vice, and the restored 4K version, titled Miami Vice: Director's Final Cut, will have its world premiere at Beyond Fest on October 3, with the director in attendance.

There are no details about the runtime of the new version, which is not listed on the festival’s website, nor is there any explanation as to what led Mann to make this new cut. Over the years, the director has always maintained that the theatrical version was his definitive cut. The extended "Unrated Director's Cut", released on home video with eight additional minutes (bringing the total to 140 minutes), was described by Mann as a "revision" rather than a replacement for the original version.

There was even speculation among people close to the release about the existence of a three-hour cut, but Mann was never asked about that version – and it is believed that it will not be the one screened at Beyond Fest.

Mann has already made it clear that he considers Miami Vice to be the film that "got away" – largely because of its rushed ending and because it carried the name of the 1980s series, which created the wrong expectations. "I would have tried to keep the same budget and I wouldn’t have called it Miami Vice. It doesn’t have the proper ending. We couldn’t shoot the last three weeks in Ciudad del Este. We only shot for three days. And there’s a very different ending that belonged to that film," the director said.

The production hit a roadblock when it was halted in the Dominican Republic after gunshots were fired near the set. Jamie Foxx left the country immediately and returned to the United States, forcing Mann to abandon the planned ending.