James "Sonny" Crockett
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James "Sonny" Crockett is a fictional rough-edged undercover police detective in the action drama Miami Vice. Crockett was portrayed in the television series by Don Johnson and in the 2006 movie by Colin Farrell. Although not confirmed, it is very likely that the canon of Crockett's life was revised or rewritten for the 2006 movie, as the character would be significantly older than Farrell if accurately cast.
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[edit] Early years
Sonny Crockett grew up in south Florida. He spent summers with his older brother Jake and cousin Jack Crockett. An All-American boy, Sonny was considered by his family to be the "most likely to succeed." Little is known about his parents, though Sonny once reminisced about playing snooker with his Dad, who died circa 1968.
[edit] Football and Elvis
Crockett was a standout wide receiver for the University of Florida. Sonny's claim to fame was a screen pass he caught in the Gator Bowl and took 95 yards for the game-winning touchdown. A knee injury cut short #88's hopes for a professional football career.
Elvis, Sonny's pet alligator on the series, was originally the Florida team mascot. Sonny adopted Elvis when the gator was threatened with destruction for biting a player. Elvis was fond of fresh fish, bags of dry dog food and munching on anything of Crockett's left lying in reach. The gator frequently broke his chain to terrorize other tenants of the marina. He also seemed to enjoy surprising unsuspecting visitors to Crockett's sailboat.
[edit] Vietnam
Sonny claimed he was on his way to being drafted by the National Football League. Instead, in 1973 he was drafted by the "Southeast Asia" conference for a two-year stint in Vietnam. Sonny served in the Army and spent several tours "in country." For his service Sonny was awarded the Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star as well as several other medals including the Vietnam Gallantry Cross. He was probably present for the Fall of Saigon as he was still in country as of April 1975 when his war reporter friend, Ira Stone, alerted him to a plot to smuggle drugs back to the United States in the body bags of KIA soldiers. While in Vietnam, Sonny went on reconnaissance missions into Cambodia. He witnessed a young corporal killing LRRP dogs he had trained because they were too dangerous to take back to the U.S., prompting Sonny to think that the corporal and Sonny himself were just as dangerous.
[edit] Southern law enforcement
Upon the completion of his tours Sonny returned to the States a war hero. He entered the police academy in Miami, a career choice probably influenced by expertise gained in the Army. After graduation he taught rookie cops. He was eventually assigned to Robbery under the tutelage of Lieutenant John Malone. Malone was his mentor and taught him investigative police work.
Crockett transferred to County Vice in 1978. He worked for Lt. Lou Rodriguez for six years, until Rodriguez's death at the hands of an assassin hired to kill Sonny. Rodriguez was replaced by the taciturn Lieutenant Martin Castillo, played by Edward James Olmos.
When the series commenced he had been undercover so long that there were days he woke up not remembering who he was supposed to be. Sonny had lost much of his youthful idealism towards the justice system and was balanced on the edge of burnout. While far from out of control, he was slowly becoming jaded by red tape and the manipulation of the system by drug lords and corrupt law enforcement officials alike. Despite these difficulties he never quite lost his great passion for his job or the belief that what he was doing was right.
A senior detective in Metro Dade's Organized Crime Bureau Division (OCB), Crockett adopted the undercover identity of Sonny "Burnett", an enterprising freelancer who used a 38-foot cigarette boat to smuggle contraband into the States for a "cut" of the profit. He also offered guided fishing tours around southern Florida for tourists. As part of his cover the Vice department supplied him with a wardrobe, a 42-foot Endeavor yacht christened the "St. Vitus' Dance" and a black Ferrari Daytona Spyder. A Wellcraft Scarab power boat completed his guise.
Crockett was plagued by bad luck when it came to partners. Scott Wheeler, an early partner who went on to the DEA, was arrested in 1984 after Sonny discovered he was leaking police information to a known criminal. Another partner was murdered by Frank Hackman in 1980. Sonny's partner at the start of the pilot episode, Eddie Rivera (Jimmy Smits), was killed by a car bomb. His next partner was Ricardo Tubbs, played by Philip Michael Thomas. Tubbs, a loose-cannon Bronx street cop, followed his brother's murderer to Miami seeking vengeance. Despite a rocky start Tubbs joined the Vice squad as Sonny's partner, fearing that given his breaches of protocol the best he could hope for if he returned to New York was work as a meter maid. Tubbs and Crockett quickly established an effective and caring partnership which would last for five years.
Sonny and Rico ended their Miami law enforcement careers in 1989 after they were recruited for a covert mission to rescue the corrupt dictator of Costa Morada, General Manuel Borbon. Their quarry was sought by the U.S. Special Drug Enforcement Task Force to provide the "key to penetrating the Medellin Cartel's innermost circle." Crockett and Tubbs escaped with Borbon back to Miami but were double crossed by their handler, Colonel Andrew Baker. Despite Lt. Castillo's offer of protection both men tossed their badges to the ground as a final show of disgust.
Rico contemplated going back to the Bronx. Finally burnt out, Sonny was unsure of his destination, other than "somewhere further south where the water's warm, and the drinks are cold." Sonny offered to drive Rico to the airport in his "stolen" car (now that he was no longer on the force) and repeated his offer of five years ago: "Hey Tubbs, you ever consider a career in southern law enforcement?..." Rico laughed as he recalled his original reply, "Maybe...maybe..."
Throughout the TV series, Crockett held the rank of a Metro-Dade Sergeant.
[edit] Love and marriage
Though a passionate and charming lover, Crockett had very little success in the area of romance.
After returning from Vietnam in 1975, Crockett married his high school sweetheart, Caroline. Their son Billy was born three years later in 1978. The demands of the undercover lifestyle strained their marriage. Sonny and Caroline separated sometime prior to the start of the series and Caroline finally filed for divorce in 1984. Caroline and Sonny briefly considered renewing their relationship; but when an attempt on Crockett's life endangered she and Billy, Caroline realized they were not going to be able to make it work. Caroline remarried in 1987 to Bob Ballard and became pregnant two years later. When Billy had a difficult time coming to grips with the changes, Caroline asked Sonny to visit. Sonny rekindled their father-son relationship and eased Billy's anxiety.
While separated from his first wife Crockett romanced fellow detective Gina Calabrese. Gina was a reluctant conquest, fully aware that Crockett was on the rebound and still in love with Caroline. Their relationship continued off and on until Sonny's second marriage to Caitlin Davies in 1987.
In 1985 Sonny fell for Brenda, a jetsetting socialite. He got caught up in the romance and whirlwind which followed, but came to the decision that he and Brenda had different lives to lead. The relationship ended after Crockett overslept at Brenda's and missed a stakeout with Rico. Lacking backup, Rico was assaulted, causing Sonny to be taken off the case and arrive at the realization that his fling with Brenda was distracting him from his duties to his partner.
The second season saw Sonny in a string of one night stands and dangerous liaisons. While in New York on a case, he was pursued by Margaret, a dealer in information. Later Sonny, as "Burnett," got involved with the girlfriend of a rip-off artist (Ted Nugent). Though her seduction attempt failed, Sonny allowed her to lead him on in order to take down her boyfriend. Toward the end of the season Sonny had a heated, short lived affair with a French Interpol agent who turned out to be an assassin.
In the third season Sonny met and nearly proposed to Dr. Theresa Lyons (Helena Bonham Carter). Ironically, due to chronic pain Theresa was addicted to drugs. Theresa wound up buying heroin off the street. Her dealer forced her to reveal the location of a police evidence warehouse, compromising Sonny's position as an undercover detective. Information Theresa thought trivial led to the death of several officers. Her medical career and personal life ruined, Theresa agreed to move to Hartford, CT for rehabilitation.
Crockett's next love interest, Christine Von Marburg (Melanie Griffith), who turned out to be a high-power madame, was linked to two drug-related murders.
In the fall of 1987 Sonny was assigned to protect pop singer Caitlin Davies (Sheena Easton) while she awaited the rackateering trial of her former manager. Cop and star detested one another until an attempt on Caitlin's life stranded them together on Sonny's boat, forcing them to admit they may have been wrong about one another. After a short but intense courtship and despite their very different lifestyles, Sonny and Caitlin were married.
Sonny's second marriage was not without its troubles. Caitlin's recording and touring schedule meant that she was away from home as often as Sonny, and like Caroline she could not help but worry about her husband while he was undercover. Sonny's unsavory cover, "Burnett," was used against Caitlin in an attempt to derail her career. The couple remained committed to one another despite the obstacles thrown in their way.
[edit] Mental and physical trauma
Sonny Crockett lived a dangerous life, both as a soldier and an undercover cop. He was wounded in action while serving in Vietnam, lost many friends to the war and returned to civilian life believing himself too dangerous for society.
As a rookie cop, Sonny Crockett's two best buddies were Mike Orgell and Evan Freed. "The Three Musketeers" were split up when Orgell came out of the closet to his friends. Neither man took the news well. Crockett didn't know how to react and failed to stand up for Orgell when Freed harassed him about his homosexuality. Orgell was killed off-duty while trying to arrest a drugged-out madman who was waving around a shotgun. Although officially ruled an accident, Crockett and Freed knew it was suicide. Years later Freed, now an undercover ATF agent, jumped into the line of fire when a dealer in illegal weapons opened fire on Crockett and Tubbs after a deal gone wrong. Still haunted by guilt over Orgell's suicide, Freed died in Crockett's arms, telling Crockett that now it was "his turn."
Crockett suffered his first bullet wound in the line of duty circa 1976. In 1988 he was shot in the chest, a near-fatal injury.
Shortly after Sonny returned to duty, Caitlin was shot in the back onstage and died in Sonny's arms. Frank Hackman, who had years earlier tricked Crockett into getting him released from death row, blamed Sonny for the death of his own wife and murdered Caitlin in retaliation. Devastated, Sonny retreated to his boat and isolated himself even from Rico. After the autopsy revealed that Caitlin was pregnant, Sonny tracked down and killed Hackman.
On the heels of his serious injury and the death of his wife, Sonny became emotionally drained. During this time he set up a meet with two opposing drug lords and was nearly killed when the sabotaged boat exploded. The blast robbed him of his memory. When he awoke, he believed himself to be his Burnett alter ego. In the midst of the power struggle, "Burnett" shrewdly ascended to the top of the Carrera clan, killing Det. James Yanovich and shooting Tubbs (who was saved by his Kevlar vest) along the way.
Sonny eventually regained his identity, however his recent memory remained clouded. He returned to OCB, dazed, confused, and especially hurt over his attempt to murder Rico. After recovering from his amnesia Sonny was investigated by Internal Affairs. He was forced to take a leave of absence from the department during the investigation, but wound up in the middle of a fracas with escaped convicts who were out to recover a large stash of cash. The convicts took Crockett hostage and severely beat him before they were apprehended.
[edit] Film Version
In the film version of Miami Vice, the Crockett character is portrayed by Irish actor Colin Farrell. In the film, Crockett states that his birthday is July 2, 1970. He is a narcotics detective in the Miami-Dade Police Department and carries a silver badge, designating him as a regular police officer (as opposed to Don Johnson's portrayal in the TV series, in which Crockett was a Sergeant). His "Sonny Burnett" persona is fabricated in the film's storyline specifically for the meeting with Jose Yero. It is never mentioned whether he is a war veteran, an ex-football player, or ever being married.
In the film, Crockett was furnished with a Ferrari F430, an MTI 39 Series speedboat, and a BMW 6 Series car.
[edit] Criticisms
One key plot hole in the Crockett character was his continued anonymity as an undercover police officer in the state of Florida. It would seem unlikey that a star college football player for the University of Florida, especially one who played a pivotal role in a Gator Bowl, would go completely unrecognized for 11 years while working undercover in the same state. It may be more plausible to suggest Crockett would go unnoticed as a college football star from another region of the country, as nationwide television coverage of American college football was a lesser force in the late 1960s and 1970s, although in the pilot episode his future partner Ricardo Tubbs, then a resident of New York City, recognized Crockett as a star college football player upon hearing his full name.
While there were limited times during the course of the show that Crockett's true identity was exposed during the course of an investigation, it was never due to a criminal or a bystander recognizing him from his football career.
However, when his cover of Burnett is exposed in the tabloids after marrying Caitlin, it is completely implausible that the secret would not come out, considering reporters, defense lawyers and any number of upset defendants who see him pop up in court after that incident would be quick to expose him. The reason Hackman knew that Sonny was married (episode "Deliver Us From Evil") was because he had seen it in the paper.
Also, it is unlikely that someone who rose to the top of a drug clan (while not working in an undercover capacity), killed a police detective (even though he was corrupt), and attempted to murder his partner would be allowed to continue his law enforcement career, as Crockett did after the Internal Affairs investigation was concluded. If Crockett did not face criminal charges, he would most likely be retired from the department for medical or psycological reasons.
