★ 6 / 10
Miami Blues is directed by George Armitage who
John Chard
Miami Blues is directed by George Armitage who also adapts the screenplay from the novel of the same name written by Charles Willeford. It stars Alec Baldwin…
Miami Blues is directed by George Armitage who also adapts the screenplay from the novel of the same name written by Charles Willeford. It stars Alec Baldwin, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Charles Napier. Music is by Gary Chang and cinematography by Tak Fujimoto.
Ex-con Frederick Frenger Jr. (Baldwin) lands in Miami and quickly continues his criminal ways. Hooking up with gullible prostitute Susie Waggoner (Leigh), Frenger, by now under suspicion for the killing of a Hare Krishna man at Miami airport, steals the identity of the policeman investigating him and ups his crime spree...
This is all about the characterisations, for the story is simple and played as a darkly comic hard boiled cop picture. We are in a stripped back Miami, no gloss here, wherever the psychotic Frenger goes, there is crime that he is only too willing to enhance. Quite often with violent but humorous results. His union with Susie is a matter of convenience, as she, the gullible tart with the heart, dreams of a white picket fence house - marriage - babies, he dreams only of her cash and the comfort of cover she affords his criminal doings. Then there is Sgt. Hoke Moseley (Ward), straight out of noirville, world weary, grizzled, incapable of genuine affection, tatty and someone who soaks his false teeth in a glass of brandy! It's a wonderful character brought vividly to life by Ward, especially when Frenger steals said set of teeth! And with Leigh and Baldwin also making good on the characters as written, this is very much worth a look for the acting performances.
It's not under seen or under valued, the respective ratings on internet sites and critical appraisals are about right. There's some value in the dark comedy born out of the crime sequences, where we are dared not to smile, and the violence is impacting without hitting us over the head for the sake of it. But without Junior, Susie and Hoke holding our attention, the film would be flat and forgettable. 6/10
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★ 7 / 10
Flawed Characters, Black Humour & High-Speed Action
seymourblack-1
Based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford, "Miami Blues" is an account of an ex-con's crime spree that includes murder, theft and impersonating…
Based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford, "Miami Blues" is an account of an ex-con's crime spree that includes murder, theft and impersonating a police officer. It's also a thriller that's full of black humour, strong violence and action that's delivered at high speed. The sheer pace of this movie and the quirkiness of its characters are its strongest points and together ensure that it remains gripping from start to finish.
After being released from a California prison, Frederick J Frenger Jr. (Alec Baldwin) flies to Miami airport where he steals a suitcase and gets hassled by a Hare Krishna devotee before casually breaking one of the guy's fingers in retaliation. Unfortunately, his victim dies of shock and this triggers a police investigation.
Frenger, who prefers to be known as Junior, checks into a hotel and orders a hooker. The simple-minded Susie Waggoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) soon joins him and they quickly begin a romantic relationship. Susie who's working her way through college, wants to settle down to a conventional lifestyle and so when she and Junior set up house together, she happily spends her time cooking for him and keeping the place clean. She's unaware that he's an habitual thief and that during his time in Miami; he's been carrying on business as usual.
Detective Sergeant Hoke Moseley (Fred Ward), the veteran cop who's investigating the killing at the airport, comes to Junior and Susie's place because he says that Junior has been identified as a possible witness. The unkempt detective chats affably to the couple and shares a meal with them during which he consumes numerous cans of beer and clearly becomes convinced that Junior is an ex-con and probably the killer he's pursuing. After finishing his meal and inviting Junior to a line-up at the police station, he leaves.
Incensed by Moseley's visit, Junior goes to the detective's hotel room and brutally attacks the cop before stealing his gun, badge and false teeth. This gives him the opportunity to go on another stealing rampage during which he enjoys posing as a cop and using every advantage it gives him to relieve various people of their money and possessions. The assault on Moseley led to him being hospitalised but after being discharged, this previously laid-back cop becomes extremely determined to hunt Junior down and bring him to justice.
This movie's run-of-the-mill plot is illuminated by its characters and Alec Baldwin gives a particularly energetic performance as the violent sociopath who's also an inveterate thief and a pathological liar. Deception also features strongly in his modus operandi as he arrives in Miami under an assumed identity, indulges in a sham version of suburban life and masquerades as a cop.
Jennifer Jason Leigh makes the naïve Susie a sympathetic character and Fred Ward is great as the sleazy, unshaven and cynical cop who's really struggling to cope but remains good natured despite being humiliated by Junior, ridiculed by his colleagues and having personal problems with his false teeth, alimony and indigestion. These characters' flaws emphasise their humanity and provide an effective counterpoint to the callous ruthlessness of Junior in what ultimately proves to be a very engaging crime thriller.
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★ 5 / 10
Uniquely off-putting
Mr-Fusion
It's hard to peg this movie. "Miami Blues" seems to dance along the lines of black comedy, quasi-psycho thriller and pastel noir. And it's offbeat, to say the…
It's hard to peg this movie. "Miami Blues" seems to dance along the lines of black comedy, quasi-psycho thriller and pastel noir. And it's offbeat, to say the least; something like this doesn't just come along every day. But the comedic elements didn't work for me; I guess I was just never in sync with its sense of humor.
I was much more interested in Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, of the three (Ward and Baldwin are certainly no amateurs). Her character's not bright, but just sweet enough to make you feel bad when she's emotionally abused. It'd be an understatement to say she walks away with this movie.
5/10
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@ZipZop, bro this movie is over 30 years old