Castillo Staredown

The Castillo staredown.

The Castillo Staredown was a technique used by Martin "Marty" Castillo to show his displeasure or anger towards a member of his staff, or other person, when they were directly responsible for an act that endangered lives, caused an operation to fail, or entailed a serious breach of procedure. The famously taciturn Lieutenant used the gesture to convey his emotions without resorting to the harsh words or raised voice that are often seen as epitomising the "police chief" figure in crime fiction, particularly during the 70s and 80s.

Castillo's staredown proved a very effective tool indeed, often forcing people to quickly back down or otherwise change their approach without hesitation, even those who knew him well.

Appearances in Miami Vice

Some of the instances of the "staredown" include:

• "One Eyed Jack" -- when James "Sonny" Crockett delayed filing a report on a bust involving one of Vincent DeMarco's goons (and at Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs for having his feet on his desk).
• "Glades" -- When Stan Switek and Larry Zito allowed Joey Bramlette to escape protective custody.
• "The Maze" -- directed at Tim Duryea for his reckless and unprofessional conduct.
• "Made for Each Other" -- to Switek and Zito for bringing informants Izzy Moreno and Noogie Lamont in on an ongoing police investigation.
• "Nobody Lives Forever" -- to Crockett for shirking his duties (an act that even resulted in Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs being seriously beaten) in favor of his romance with Brenda.
• "Out Where the Buses Don't Run" -- to Hank Weldon for his breach of OCB security.
• "Bushido" -- Castillo gave a staredown to Surf, although it was intended as a challenge rather than a display of annoyance.
• "Phil the Shill" -- to Switek and Zito for faking illness so that they could appear on a gameshow.
• "Definitely Miami" -- to Joe Dalva for his ambitious, reckless actions in the Sergio Clemente case, causing the deaths of both Clemente and his sister, Maria Rojas.
• "Little Miss Dangerous" -- to Tubbs for "doing his social work on the inside" with Jackie McSeidan.
• "French Twist" -- to Danielle Hier for not telling him enough information about Sirat Bandi's Whereabouts, wich causes Crockett, Tubbs and Switek to almost get killed in the blast.
• "When Irish Eyes Are Crying" -- to Richard Cross for obstruction of justice (phoning Sean Carroon to tell him that OCB was planning to bust him).
• "The Good Collar" -- to State's Attorney William Pepin for backing out on the deal he made with Crockett and Archie Ellis, ultimately leading to Ellis' death.
• "Shadow in the Dark" -- to Crockett for his increasing mental instability.
• "Red Tape" -- to Tubbs for refusing to work, then quitting the force (though this was all a ruse planned by Tubbs and Castillo).
• "By Hooker by Crook" -- to Switek for not seeing Ali Ferrand enter the hotel he was supposed to be staking out, resulting in her death.
• "Heroes of the Revolution" -- to Gina Calabrese for revealing she did not arrest Klaus Herzog (though Castillo relented after she revealed the reason why).
• "Missing Hours" -- to Carson for getting involved in OCB business that did not concern him.
• "Hell Hath No Fury..." -- to the entire squad for their unprofessional conduct during the Alan Beaks case.
• "Blood & Roses" -- to Gina for not responding to questions about her state of mind (and that of Frank Mosca) when she found out about his money laundering operation.
• "Redemption in Blood" -- to Crockett for his actions as Sonny Burnett.
• "Line of Fire" -- to FBI Agent Daley for the Bug who as found in OCB.
• "Freefall" -- to Crockett and Tubbs for quitting the force.