Nobody Lives Forever

I wonder where Michael Mann got the idea to cast Kim Greist for Manhunter?

Greist plays Brenda, a well heeled architect and well into a romance with Crockett. I leads to Crockett shirking his duties which leaves Tubbs in danger. It also means Castille gives Crockett a steely staredown.

Three wacko punks are in town with an itchy trigger finger and looking to make easy money. They knock off a bookie and a hot dog stand.

That is not the end of their rampage but they have made enemies of the police and criminals.

There is some really good music here and some arty shots of Crockett in the pool with Brenda. It is left to Tubbs to tell Brenda that she might not be the type to be a cop's wife.

The punks are an acquired taste. Their behaviour is certainly of a trio that are high on drugs and as Izzy remarks, they are already dead.

Under-rated. The romance is kind of distracting, since we know nothing will come of it. Bad To The Bone is a great song, but maybe too cliche for its usage by the over-the-top punks. The best parts of this one is dialogue between Sonny & Tubbs, and I think it has some of the best set design and night cinematography of the entire 1st season.

This one shows Miami off well.

The core of 'Nobody Lives Forever' is an spotlight on how a Vice detective can't afford to get distracted by a romantic relationship. And that makes for good drama, but the Brenda character doesn't sit well with me. She's been on the St. Vitus, and heard gunfire during a love struck phone call - she knows how chained to the job Crockett is. Yet she still demands a cozy spot of importance in his life. The job's already cost him a marriage. Does she really think he'll drop it for a fling? I dunno, there's just not much to her beyond just a problem for the guy. It'd be worse if she wasn't good-looking.

Having said that, it's got talent in the guest star department (Martin Ferrero and the always-fascinating Giancarlo Esposito), good action and a resonant closing shot of two partners mending differences.

Bonus: Red 7's 'Heartbeat'. Incredible song. It worked great in "Manhunter" and it's put to fantastic use here, too.

7/10

There was something in the hook in the music that reminded me of an undertone that was playing before he figured out the tapes were connected in Manhunter. So I looked up. Haven't never watched this. No it can't be. Never know maybe this is the prequel to Manhunter in theory. :P very loosely. So to strike off any doubt he played Heartbeat. go figure.. okay well fine. made it obvious which came first the chicken or the egg. apparently neither the pebble did it. I'll have to file away this one under Manhunter lore. No spoilers on this just well except for that shot of the bosses eyes. Dang good work director/ camera operator !!!!

"Nobody Lives Forever" is a superb episode of "Miami Vice" from director Jim Johnston. Beginning with action accompanied by George Thorogood's "Bad To The Bone", the opening sequence climaxes with the ketchup strewn destruction of a lunch truck. Good, messy fun!

There's romance in the air for Sonny Crockett who has fallen for the undeniable charms of beautiful, up-market Brenda, played by Kim ("Manhunter") Greist. As a result of this relationship, Crockett's work starts to suffer, posing serious questions about his future as an undercover cop.

There's a terrific soundtrack to this episode, including Red 7's "Heartbeat". This seems to be a Mann favourite - he used this for the end titles of the aforementioned "Manhunter". Another memorable track is Glenn Frey's "New Love".

Don Johnson's performance is pitch perfect and the episode is both realistic and moving.

There's great continuity with earlier story lines. Here, mention is made of the untouchable Lombard, last seen in "One Eyed Jack."

9 out of 10.