The Mighty Don Johnson
The mighty Don Johnson needs no introduction to readers of Movies In Focus. The Miami Vice/Nash Bridges legend delivers each time he’s on screen and in recent years he has done sterling work in Brawl In Cell Block 99, Vengeance, Dragged Across Concrete, Watchmen and Knives Out.
Johnson’s screen persona is relaxed and charismatic and it’s a shame he never became the movie star he should have after Miami Vice hit TV in the ’80s. He was never entirely allowed to move away from the persona of Sonny Crockett – he tried – but audiences always seemed to associate him with pastel colours and designer stubble.
He had a strong second wind with Nash Bridges in the 1990s, but Johnson always deserved more. He’s always had the looks of a screen hero, with a glint of evil bubbling under the surface. Given a chance he could had had a similar career trajectory to Michael Douglas (another star who got his break in a TV detective show) where he could have balanced a heroic screen persona with that of the villain.
Movies In Focus has been working my way through the first season of Miami Vice again recently and boy, does that show still hold up 35 years on from when it first aired. Johnson delivers in spades and his chemistry with Philip Michael Thomas is amazing – and don’t get me started on the soundtrack.
There are rumblings Don Johnson will be stepping back into the linen for a Miami Vice reboot – but he’s also confirmed that he’ll be starring in a a new reboot of his classic 1990s series Nash Bridges for USA Network.
