The Mighty Quinn (1989)

When police officer Xavier Quinn's childhood friend, Maubee, becomes associated with murder and a briefcase full of ten thousand dollar bills, The Mighty Quinn must clear his name. Or try to catch him, which could be even trickier.

Director:

Carl Schenkel

Writers:

Albert Z. Carr (novel) (as A.H.Z. Carr), Hampton Fancher (screenplay)

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, James Fox

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Xavier Quinn
James Fox	...	Thomas Elgin
Mimi Rogers	...	Hadley Elgin
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Fred Miller
Sheryl Lee Ralph	...	Lola Quinn
Art Evans	...	Jump Jones
Esther Rolle	...	Ubu Pearl
Norman Beaton	...	Governor Chalk
Alex Colon	...	Jose Patina
Robert Townsend	...	Maubee
Tyra Ferrell	...	Isola
Carl Bradshaw	...	Cocodick
Maria McDonald	...	Jax
Fitz Weir	...	Athens
Baldwin Howe	...	Bim

Storyline

When police officer Xavier Quinn's childhood friend, Maubee, becomes associated with murder and a briefcase full of ten thousand dollar bills, The Mighty Quinn must clear his name. Or try to catch him, which could be even trickier.

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Plot Keywords:

caribbean island | snake bite | cia agent | childhood friend | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

THE CHIEF OF POLICE AND THE CHIEF SUSPECT. They know each other too well to let a little thing like murder get in their way.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denzel Washington and Art Evans were in the same army unit in the movie, A Soldier's Story.

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Goofs

When Quinn is sitting at the piano and is handed the bottle of rum, he takes it with his right hand. In the next shot, he bumps fists with his empty right hand. In the next shot, the bottle is again in his right hand.

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Quotes

Ubu Pearl: I put a curse on you!
Xavier: Believe me, I already got a curse on me.

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Alternate Versions

An interracial love scene between Denzel Washington and Mimi Rogers was rumored to have been cut out of the film when it was learned both black and white test audiences didn't like it.

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Connections

Referenced in Moesha: Niece (1996)

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Soundtracks

I GOTTA KEEP MOVING ON
Written by Curtis Mayfield
Performed by UB40
Courtesy of A&M Records and Virgin Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Interesting Look into Carribbean Culture

I read a previous comment calling this movie boring, so I had to respond. While this movie is far from perfect, it is a great afro-centric murder mystery set on a Caribbean island. It shares aspects with Marlon Brando's Burn in that the locals fall victims to the whims and greed of white colonial, in this case, American exploits. This film was made in 1989, during a black cultural rebirth that included Spike Lee films and the political rap band Public Enemy. This film fits into that category and is unapologetic in its portrayals. If you can't handle the reality of colonialism and intervention then you cant handle this film. Its not much wonder this film isn't seen often, just like Brando's Burn, and Ben Gazarra's high Velocity, two other films that plumb honestly colonial politics and tragedy, long past and recent.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Finding Maubee

Filming Locations:

Port Antonio, Jamaica

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,429,306, 20 February 1989

Gross USA:

$4,557,214

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,557,214

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&M Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Star Partners II Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1