Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs (Film)

This article is about the character from the movie. For the television series rendition, see Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Ricardo Tubbs
Played By	Jamie Foxx
Born	1973
Marital Status	In a relationship with Trudy Joplin
Rank	Detective, Metro-Dade Organized Crime Bureau-Vice Division

Ricardo Tubbs (played by Jamie Foxx, b. 1973) is a Detective of the Metro-Dade Police Department and an undercover detective in the Organized Crime Bureau - Vice Division in the film adaptation of the Miami Vice television series. Tubbs is urbane, smart and level-headed, although occasionally prone to outbursts of violence, particularly when confronted with the mistreatment of women. In a significant departure from the television series, he is in a long-term relationship with Bronx-born intelligence analyst Trudy Joplin, who he lives with. He is also qualified to fly light aircraft. He is the partner of Metro-Dade Detective Sonny Crockett.

Life before Vice

Little is known about this rendition of Tubbs before he joined the Vice team, as the film's director Michael Mann intentionally kept the movie devoid of back-stories so that it could focus solely on the undercover operation and not get bogged down with exposition. Even Tubbs' origins are not defined, to the point where it is not even stated whether he is a New Yorker, like his television series counterpart, or whether he comes from another part of the United States. However, it is shown that he is qualified to fly light aircraft, and implied by his criminal alias' backstory that he has some military training.

Personal Life

Tubbs is in a long-term relationship with Trudy Joplin, a Metro-Dade intelligence analyst occasionally assigned to Martin Castillo's vice squad. Despite being co-workers, the two live together happily and are able to successfully balance their professional and personal lives. Their relationship is almost brought to a premature end when Trudy is kidnapped by the Miami branch of the Aryan Brotherhood as a result of the case Tubbs is working on, but fortunately Trudy survives the ordeal.

Cars

Tubbs drives a white 2004 BMW 645i Coupe in the film, seen during the drive to the showdown with José Yero and his men.

Weapons

Tubbs sidearm in the film is a SIG Sauer P220R chambered in .45 ACP, although throughout the movie he primarily uses a Benelli M4 Super 90 automatic shotgun in 12 gauge.

He also uses a Heckler & Koch HK69A1 grenade launcher loaded with buckshot at two points in the film. In the DVD commentary, Michael Mann notes that he got the idea to use this weapon from a Vietnam veteran who, like many American M79 gunners/grenadiers during that war, took part in the practice of removing the explosive and detonating mechanism out of their 40mm grenades and replacing them with buckshot, effectively turning their weapons into one-shot 1.2 gauge shotguns.