Miami Blues

"Real badge. Real gun. Fake cop."

1990 1h 37m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 234

CrimeThrillerComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After Junior is released from prison, he plans on starting a new life in Miami. But when he kills a man in the airport, he flees the scene and finds Susie, a mild-mannered prostitute searching for stability. The two opposites become romantically involved, and Junior steals a badge and gun from a veteran detective. Using the officer's identity, Junior embarks on a crime spree and convinces Susie that he is the perfect man.

“Real badge. Real gun. Fake cop.”

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Cast

Fred Ward
Sergeant Hoke Moseley
Alec Baldwin
Frederick J. Frenger Jr.
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Susie Waggoner
Nora Dunn
Ellita Sanchez
Charles Napier
Sergeant Bill Henderson
Shirley Stoler
Edie Wulgemuth
Bobo Lewis
Edna Damrosch
Obba Babatundé
Blink Willie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Armitage
Writers: George Armitage
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 90% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Armitage, shot by Tak Fujimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gary Chang. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Craig McKay shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Fred Ward and Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Real badge. Real gun. Fake cop.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0100143 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Armitage directs. Tak Fujimoto behind the camera. Gary Chang scores. Craig McKay cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 90% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by George Armitage, shot by Tak Fujimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Gary Chang. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Craig McKay shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Fred Ward and Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Real badge. Real gun. Fake cop.".
8IMDB entry: tt0100143 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tak Fujimoto
Original score: Gary Chang
Editing: Craig McKay
Production design: Maher Ahmad
Costume design: Eugenie Bafaloukos
Makeup / hair: Carl Fullerton
Sound: Tom Fleischman
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Joe Hooker
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $11,000,000
Box office: $9,888,167
Return: 90% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Miami Blues (1990)

Also by

George Armitage

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-09-25
★ 6/10
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

Production companies