Miami Blues (1990)

An ex-con's first act of freedom is moving to Miami where he restarts his old criminal ways with even more potency.

Director:

George Armitage

Writers:

Charles Willeford (novel), George Armitage (screenplay)

Stars:

Fred Ward, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alec Baldwin	...	Frederick J. Frenger Jr.
Cecilia Pérez-Cervera	...	Stewardess
Georgie Cranford	...	Little Boy at Miami Airprt
Edward Saxon	...	Krishna Ravindra at Miami Airport
José Pérez	...	Pablo
Obba Babatundé	...	Blink Willie, Informant
Fred Ward	...	Sgt. Hoke Moseley
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Susie Waggoner
Charles Napier	...	Sgt. Bill Henderson
Matt Ingersoll	...	Mourning Hare Krishna
Jack G. Spirtos	...	Pickpocket Victim
Raphael Rey Gomez	...	Pickpocket
Tony Paris	...	Pickpocket's Accomplice
Wendy Thorlakson	...	Toy Store Cashier
William Taylor Anderson Jr.	...	Crack Dealer

Storyline

When Fred Frenger gets out of prison, he decides to start over in Miami, Florida, where he starts a violent one-man crime wave. He soon meets up with amiable college student/prostitute Susie Waggoner. Opposing Frenger is Sgt Hoke Moseley, a cop who is getting a bit old for the job, especially since the job of cop in 1980's Miami is getting crazier all the time.

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | prostitute | girl stripped down to panties | female frontal nudity | sex scene | 

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Taglines:

Real badge. Real gun. Fake cop.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le flic de Miami

Filming Locations:

Kendall, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,002,997, 22 April 1990, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,888,167

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tristes Tropiques

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A framed photograph of Miami Blues author Charles Willeford can be seen on Hoke Moseley's desk in the police station.

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Goofs

When they have to buzz you in through a locked coin shop door, they also have to buzz you out. But Frenger just goes through the door after shooting Pedro and the coin shop owner. No one buzzes him out, and the door would be locked.

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Quotes

Susie Waggoner: So... are you gonna tell me about it?
Frederick J. Frenger Jr.: Yeah, I'm gonna tell you about it. This *straight* life we've been living gave me a false sense of security. For a second I thought I was some kind of solid citizen or something.
Susie Waggoner: All I wanna know is what happened to you.
Frederick J. Frenger Jr.: Some guy in a blue Toyota pickup ran me over.
Susie Waggoner: I thought it must've been something like that...

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Connections

References Gandhi (1982)

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Soundtracks

FLOATIN'
Written by Mike Piccirillo & Gary Goetzman

User Reviews

One of those obscure classics!

This is one of those movies that perhaps not a lot of people saw, but for me, it's one of those 'obscure classics'. A little quirky at times, but it just looked like a fun movie to act in, and definitely a fun movie to watch. The cast does a great job, especially Alec Baldwin and Fred Ward. They just really seemed to be enjoy their characters. Jennifer Jason Leigh gives her usual solid performance in yet another offbeat role. Alec Baldwin always seems to give some 'classic scene' deliveries (Glengarry Glen Ross, Malice, The Edge, etc.), and once again here in Miami Blues, he scores some big ones. On the bed, counting the stolen money, doing Al 'Scarface' Pacino. Rhyming while finding the 'very big' gun. The entire dinner scene with Ward's Moseley. Stopping the store burglar with a jar of spaghetti sauce. His 'raid' of the betting room ('remain silent'). -Etc. etc. These are just a few examples of some of his classic scenes or lines. They're usually hysterical!!

Anyway, there is some violence, some 'dark' comedy (e.g. Ravindra!), etc., but overall, I think this movie was very entertaining and a nice offbeat surprise with some great performances and lines. Chalk it up under one of my 'Top Ten Favorites That Not Everybody Saw'.