Yet another former television show hit the big screen when the popular Michael Mann's Miami Vice was introduced to movie goers this week.

It is a classic action flick that will entertain and thrill, as it is full of style and visually effective intrigue. The movie's strength is a strong international cast that includes Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell as Ricardo Tubbs and Sony Crockett. Those talented actors communicate more with their physical behavior and facial expressions then they do with their words.

But as good as it looks, the film lacks in substance, particularly in story line and dialogue. The visual packaging will likely salvage the movie for many, but the plot line could have gone beyond the two words, Miami and Vice. Think drugs, think guns, and think action, but don't think character development.

As with the television show, the movie is about working undercover, but a great deal of the movie takes place in Cuba, Paraguay, and Haiti, so don't look for all the pink flamingos of the original television series. But do look for the violence. The natural appeal of taking this action based series to the big screen and a theater audience is to bring the visual effects to a level that would not make it past the FCC if shown on network television.