Miracle Mile (1988)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Steve De Jarnatt

Writer:

Steve De Jarnatt (written by)

Release Date:

19 May 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You just found out that you have 24 hours to live. What are YOU going to do?

Plot:

A young man hears a chance phone call telling him that a nuclear war has started and missiles will hit his city in 70 minutes.

Plot Keywords:

Nuclear War | Phone | Los Angeles California | Police | Single Day

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Anthony Edwards	...	Harry Washello
Mare Winningham	...	Julie Peters
John Agar	...	Ivan Peters
Lou Hancock	...	Lucy Peters
Mykelti Williamson	...	Wilson (as Mykel T. Williamson)
Kelly Jo Minter	...	Charlotta (as Kelly Minter)
Kurt Fuller	...	Gerstead
Denise Crosby	...	Landa
Robert DoQui	...	Fred the Cook (as Robert Doqui)
O-Lan Jones	...	Waitress
Claude Earl Jones	...	Harlan
Alan Rosenberg	...	Mike
Danny De La Paz	...	Transvestite
Earl Boen	...	Drunk Man in Diner
Diane Delano	...	Stewardess

Runtime:

87 min | West Germany:81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | West Germany:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | France:U | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Johnie's Diner - 6101 Wilshire Blvd - Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The punch line to the unfinished joke the loudmouth at the bar was telling (It's the mailman's last day on the job, he goes to a woman's house and she invites him in, makes loves to him, makes him a wonderful breakfast and then gives him 5 dollars) is: Mailman: What was that for? Woman: Well I asked my husband what to do for you on your last day and he said, "Screw him, give him 5 dollars." The breakfast was my idea!

Goofs:

Continuity: When Harry lands on the road from the moving van. Before he lands on the ground, his glasses are already on the road and broken.

Quotes:

[to Harry, as he is taking care of a sudden nosebleed]
Waitress: What did she do? Slap you through the phone?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Incredibly good plot

This is actually my favourite American movie ever, and also my favourite thriller ever. I've seen it three times, and I've been blown away on each occasion. Some elements may be compared to Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys, but I find Miracle Mile superior to it.

The plot is incredibly good, with much more depth than I thought after seeing it the first time - at that time I mistakenly thought it was a little flawed. The use of colours is also noteworthy.

While the movie is extraordinarily captivating overall, I think a few scenes in the beginning have a somewhat cheesy 80s feeling to them, but they're still strangely hypnotic.

One might also wish that some of the acting were a little better. Nevertheless, I see now that Anthony Edwards makes an absolutely outstanding acting performance in the lead role. The Tangerine Dream soundtrack is also excellent. By all means, don't let the movie's quite apparent weaknesses deceive you into thinking that this is just another second-rate, one-dimensional thriller.