★ 6 / 10
A really strong cast
bensonmum2
A group of Miami's civic leaders and police bring a gangster out of "retirement" to help take down the city's crime syndicate.Overall, I found The Miami Story…
A group of Miami's civic leaders and police bring a gangster out of "retirement" to help take down the city's crime syndicate.Overall, I found The Miami Story very enjoyable. Sure, there are issues with the plot that require a gigantic leap in logic, but if you're willing to look past these issues (and I looked past most - not all, but most), it's a fairly rewarding and entertaining experience. The film is more graphic than most I've seen from the era, with a woman being badly beaten-up, more blood than I expected, and a more explicit inference of prostitution. For 1954, this is about as far as you could go in the depiction of the sleaze and nastiness resulting from crime. The acting is particularly noteworthy. Barry Sullivan (rock solid and believable in the lead), Luther Adler (the perfect baddie), and Adele Jergens (as the tough-as-nails "dame") are all outstanding. But I was happiest to see Beverly Garland's fantastic performance. I've always been a fan regardless of the dreck she sometimes appeared in. The Miami Story also benefits from solid direction. Fred Sears' pacing is perfect. From the opening shootout to the final chase, The Miami Story rarely lets up. And, the film looks fantastic. I especially enjoyed the shots of Miami from the 50s - how things have changed! It's all nicely done.Finally, I've often seen The Miami Story listed as a film noir. I'd argue that's not exactly accurate. I could cite a number of reasons, but the main one is the film's ending. You don't get that in a typical noir.6/10
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★ 7 / 10
Conning a syndicate kingpin
bkoganbing
The Miami Story is a fast moving no frills noir story about organized crime in Miami and Dade County. The supposition is that the explosive post World War II…
The Miami Story is a fast moving no frills noir story about organized crime in Miami and Dade County. The supposition is that the explosive post World War II growth of the area led to a rise in organized crime and the police force did not grow with the population as well.Which calls for some drastic measures and a citizen's committee similar to the one that aided in the takedown of Al Capone in Chicago is formed here. Their reluctant operator is former gangster Barry Sullivan who says he's fronting for a Cuban syndicate. It's all one giant con game on the local Miami kingpin Luther Adler. Adler plays and plays well a lot of criminal types on the screen. He's a smart operator and won't be easy to fool. He also has as his number one trigger man John Baer who really loves his work.Beverly Garland and Adele Jergens play a pair of sisters, Garland is an entertainer and falls for Sullivan. Jergens is part of Adler's team and I think this might have been her career role. She's a tough cookie in charge of the vice and prostitution part of Adler's criminal empire. I think she was the best in the film.US Senator George Smathers introduced the film. I suspect that Smathers was looking for a little of Kefauver type publicity to attach itself to him. He was half way through his first term in the Senate and there was sure no downside to him being part of the promotion of The Miami Story.Smathers is long gone but the film holds up well for today's audience.
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★ 6 / 10
Nothing new under the sun, but enjoyable enough
XhcnoirX
Luther Adler heads a crime syndicate that's running Miami, with a fancy lawyer making sure he's untouchable, and a coldblooded John Baer to do his dirty jobs…
Luther Adler heads a crime syndicate that's running Miami, with a fancy lawyer making sure he's untouchable, and a coldblooded John Baer to do his dirty jobs for him. The latest one is the assassination of 2 Cubans as they exit an airplane, in front of a crowd. Frustrated and fearing things will go from bad to worse now, local businessmen hire an ex-gangster from Chicago, Barry Sullivan, to try and get enough on Adler to get him in front of a grand jury. Adler framed Sullivan years before, so Sullivan accepts, and enlists the help of Cuban cops to pretend he's part of a Cuban crime ring moving in on Adler's turf. He also meets a woman who flew to Miami with the 2 deceased Cubans, Bevery Garland, who has an unsuspected connection to Adler's squeeze, Adele Jergens.One of countless docu-noirs exposing every sort of crime ring in every major US city, this one even has a Florida senator chime in at the start, as well as the mandatory authoritative narration. Made on a low budget, it's pretty standard fare, but still manages to entertain. Sullivan ('The Gangster') is great as the former gangster who's still cold and callous when necessary, and Adler ('D.O.A.') played villains for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jergens ('Armored Car Robbery') and Garland ('New Orleans Uncensored') play opposite roles, and esp Jergens is great as a bitter femme fatale just past her prime.The directing by Fred F. Sears and cinematography by Harry Freulich is competent and occasionally inspired (there's a great shot of Garland when Sullivan first meets her inside his hotel room). They worked together on a number of movies, including other city/crime exposés like'Chicago Syndicate' and 'Inside Detroit'. Sears would even return to Miami a few years later for 'Miami Exposé'. All in all, while there's nothing under the sun here, and there are no real surprises (maybe that it's slightly more graphic than usual), it's a fast-paced and enjoyable movie if yer into this subgenre/corner of film noir.
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80%
AUDIENCE
6.2/10
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