Actors returning to similar roles (even sometimes being typecast) is not particularly rare. Michael Cera has played countless bad-in-their-skin teenagers, Michelle Rodriguez has rarely strayed from being a tough cookie kind of lady, and Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, and Vin Diesel are always unstoppable tough guys.
But that’s rarer when the actor returns to his role after 40 years. This was the case for Don Johnson, who returned from the legendary series Miami Vice to play a cop in the new Netflix film Rebel Ridge. And he brought a little something with him.
Miami Vice Is One of the Most Iconic Crime Series of All Time
Miami Vice is the cop show of all cop shows. It follows two vice officers, James “Sonny” Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), as they go undercover in the underbelly of Miami. They fight drug dealing and prostitution, often with a big shootout at the end of each episode. There are also cool cars, cool clothes, and cool guns. It was the epitome of entertainment. It did things differently; it weaved current pop music and unforgettable theme tracks and featured flamboyant fashion, especially with the character of James Crockett.
The show ran for five seasons and was a critical success. It won a number of accolades, such as four Emmys, two Golden Globes, two Grammys, two People’s Choice awards, and no less than 33 other nominations throughout its run. People Magazine wrote that Miami Vice was the “first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented,” which is an incredible compliment. A movie remake was released in 2006 that stars Colin Farrell as James Crockett and Jamie Foxx as Ricardo Tubbs.
Rebel Ridge Is a New Netflix Action Thriller
The Netflix action thriller Rebel Ridge has been the talk of the cinema world in the past few weeks. Starring Aaron Pierre, it tells the story of a Black man, Terry Richmond, who gets stopped in his car by police while on his way to post bail for his cousin. The police officer seizes the money, but Richmond, having lost almost everything, goes on a quest to get his money back and unearth the rampant corruption in the small town with the help of a court clerk, Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb). But the police chief and his goons will not let them do so easily.
Rebel Ridge is being hailed as the best action thriller of the year and a renewal of this old, overplayed genre. The outstanding direction by Jeremy Saulnier led not only to a film with a defined and captivating mood, but also to Pierre playing the best role of his career. He shone as a defiant man who would stop at nothing to show the dark side of the police forces. The story was also extremely well-written, with a slow burn and a great deal of suspense, keeping the viewer invested throughout its runtime.
Don Johnson’s Rebel Ridge Character and Miami Vice Connection
If Johnson plays a charismatic cop in Miami Vice, that is not the case in Rebel Ridge. His age now better fits a hardened police chief, content with the status quo, willing to go to dire lengths to protect himself and his officers, rather than the boat-living, Ferrari-driving, alligator-keeping undercover cop he played 40 years prior. However, the two characters do share one similarity: their weapon. They both carry a Bren Ten pistol. The legendary Miami Vice gun once again lands in Johnson’s hands but with a slightly different look, as the one in Rebel Ridge sports a blued steel body with a wooden grip.
The Bren Ten was only produced from 1983 to 1986 due to some units being delivered with missing or inoperable magazines. Though it is considered by some to be the best pistol of its era, only 1500 units were made. Therefore, it seems to be an odd choice to feature it (and so prominently, even in the trailer) in Rebel Ridge if it wasn’t a conscious choice. It is probably an Easter egg for fans of the actors to find and appreciate. Nonetheless, carrying an old gun does seem fitting for a traditional older chief of police.
Though they were made 40 years apart, Miami Vice and Rebel Ridge share a common thread: a cop played by Don Johnson who carries a rare Bren Ten pistol. It must have been exciting for the actor to don his police hat again, albeit with a completely different personality, and get back his old weapon, so much so that the actor stated in an interview that he might return to Miami Vice if ever invited. Miami Vice is available to buy on Prime Video and Apple TV. Rebel Ridge is currently streaming on Netflix.