Rating: 
Summary: miami blues
Review: Alec Baldwin is at his best as he plays a psychopathic character in this fast paced action drama. Ingenuity and being nice to his new found girlfriend are the only disirable qualities in Baldwin's character. You won't want to leave your seat with this one.
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Summary: A Greater VICE....
Review: Alec Baldwin shines as "Junior" in this offbeat, quirky, action/crime/comedy adventure. That sounds like an odd combination, and it is just that unique combination that really makes this film work. ............... The fun begins when "Junior", a career criminal, is on the loose in Miami, hence the title. After stepping off a plane, and breaking the finger of a Hare Krishna at the airport who later dies of shock, Sgt. Hoke Mosley (Fred Ward) is on the case. .................. Meanwhile, Junior is going about his business of robbing, assaulting, and assuming the identity of "Herman Gotlieb". That is funny all by itself, but that's the wallet lifted, so that's who Junior is. He is living in a cheap hotel where the bellboy is a pimp. So, when Junior wants a lady for "entertainment" he gets a roomservice prostitute, enter Jennifer Jason Leigh as "Susie", a not too bright, but sweet girl who is "working" the hotel. Once she is sent to Juniors room, they remain together as a couple. Blissfully ignorant, Susie naively trusts Junior, and plays the role of dutiful wife, oblivious to his frighteningly deviate behavior. Everyone is happy, until.......... ................ Trouble starts for Junior as Sgt. Hoke Mosley, a denture toting vice veteran who lives up to his hokey name, closes in. Particularly amusing is a shared dinner at Junior and Susies place, where Mosley lets Junior know, he's a suspect for the airport Hare Krishna death incident. Fred Ward is very amusing in this role, and repugnant as well. Looking at him makes you think you can smell him right through the screen. He drinks up all the beer, eats all the food, and exits after asking Junior if he'd mind taking a look at a line-up, and standing in it too. Junior knows it's time to make a serious move, or it's back to jail. ................ Although George Armitage is the director of this film, the entire cinematography, mood. music, quirky camera angles, and cast spells Jonathan Demme all the way. He is the credited producer of this film, but I imagine he certainly had alot to do with the directing and casting as well. You can see all Demme favorites here in small cameo roles, as in his previous "Married To The Mob", and "Something Wild" (see my reviews). Charles Napier, a welcome Demme mainstay, is in a peripheral role here as a collegue of Wards' Mosley, but he's just one of many familiar faces that show up unexpectedly throughout the film. ................ "Miami Blues" is a unique blend of comedy, and action crime thriller that will get your attention with it's visual flash, and hold your interest with its well paced plot and odd characters. It's a forgotten sleeper that should not be missed.
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Summary: A hidden treasure.
Review: Aside from the fact that Alec Baldwin looks at his absolute best from the forehead down [the haircut is awful] and no one ever has filled out a pair of black shorts any better than him ...This is really a very fascinating movie that goes way beyond the bad-guy quasi bad-girl gone "good." The plot line isn't too fantastic, but the acting is superb. Get it - you won't regret it. (And when in doubt, rent it first. Get it for Alec in the shorts later.)
Rating:
Summary: a great dark comedy!
Review: I bought this dvd at the same time I bought To Live and Die in L.a. and really enjoy both movies. This is a very under-rated movie that has comedy, action and quasi-romance. The acting is great and there is not one bad scene in the movie. The dvd is a little disappointing in that it has absolutely no extras, unlike To Live and Die in L.a., which has great extras. The movie more than makes up for that though and can be enjoyed again and again. I put it in the same league as The Way of the Gun, True Romance, and Reservoir Dogs. If you like that kind of violent comedy, this is for you...
Rating:
Summary: a great dark comedy!
Review: I bought this dvd at the same time I bought To Live and Die in L.a. and really enjoy both movies. This is a very under-rated movie that has comedy, action and quasi-romance. The acting is great and there is not one bad scene in the movie. The dvd is a little disappointing in that it has absolutely no extras, unlike To Live and Die in L.a., which has great extras. The movie more than makes up for that though and can be enjoyed again and again. I put it in the same league as The Way of the Gun, True Romance, and Reservoir Dogs. If you like that kind of violent comedy, this is for you...
Rating:
Summary: A personal favorite
Review: I have always said you take your chances when you rent an Alec Baldwin film. You just never know what you're going to see with this actor since most of his work is decidedly sub par. If you spent any time agonizing over "The Getaway," "She's Having a Baby," or "The Juror" you know exactly what I mean. Moreover, because Alec attained success after starting his career some two decades ago, we now must suffer interminably the presence of his untalented brothers Stephen, William, and Daniel. I could go on and on about the Baldwin brothers. Alec's political views, for example, achieve epic levels of obnoxious ignorance. He's in the running-along with Janeane Garofalo, Michael Moore, Susan Sarandon, and Martin Sheen-for the limousine liberal award of the decade. Yes sir, Alec Baldwin presents a host of problems for the discerning filmgoer. But, and this is a big but, you will find a few gems in the man's filmography if you can bend your mind around Alec's innumerable problems. Who can forget his memorable, scene stealing appearance in "Glengarry Glen Ross"? And he stole the show from folks like Jack Lemmon, no easy feat. This film, "Miami Blues," ranks as one of Alec Baldwin's best roles; it's a wonderfully entertaining film that should receive more attention than it has presently received.
Based on a Charles Willeford novel, "Miami Blues" introduces us to Frederick J. Frenger, Jr. (Baldwin, of course), an incorrigible miscreant recently released from a lengthy stint in the stir. Right from the start we learn Frenger's not about to play it straight. In the lobby of the airport, our man inadvertently kills a Hare Krishna. Definitely not a good thing, let alone a smart thing, to do. The incident forces Frenger to flee from the scene before Sergeant Hoke Moseley (Fred Ward) and Sergeant Bill Henderson (Charles Napier) arrive to begin the tedious task of starting an investigation. In the meantime, Frenger holes up in a fancy hotel where he proceeds to launch a series of small capers aimed at providing him with a false identity and spending money. He'll steal suitcases, rob and beat people, do anything if he thinks he can get something out of it. Frenger even robs a bunch of drug dealers with a water gun in a brazen daylight operation that would be idiotic if he didn't pull it off so coolly. It soon becomes apparent that something just isn't right with our heroic Frederick Frenger; he is, in fact, a sociopathic personality with an astonishing capacity to lie, cheat, and steal.
Frenger meets the girl of his dreams when he acquires the services of Pepper, aka Susan Waggoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a not so bright harridan, for an evening of rest and relaxation. The two form a weird, love/hate bond that leads to a most unusual relationship. Waggoner expects her new man to play the marriage game-she has no idea who he really is, of course-but Frenger has other plans. When Hoke Moseley manages to track Baldwin's character down, Freddie sneaks into the cop's hovel and steals his badge and gun. The rest of the movie sees the criminal playing cop while he engages in a series of increasingly dangerous crimes. He shoots a robber in the leg at a restaurant, catches a mugger only to steal the woman's purse for himself, and attempts to foil a robbery at the local convenience store. In the interim, he verbally abuses Susan and toys with the determined Hoke. Frenger pulls off so many jobs that nearly every cop in the city is looking for him, most of all Hoke Moseley. The denouement of "Miami Blues" details the gruesome fall of Frederick Frenger, Jr. as an attempted robbery at a pawnshop goes horribly awry.
The performances in "Miami Blues" elevate the film above your standard cops and robbers picture. Baldwin is wonderful as the unhinged Frenger. He jaunts around town sporting a severe crew cut, several tattoos, and a look in his eye that made me want to run the other way. Submerging himself totally in the character of a dangerous personality, Baldwin's fluctuations between pithy, grinning liar and ultra violent sociopath are sudden and shocking. Jennifer Jason Leigh, a personal favorite of mine, turns in a solid performance as the dense Susan Waggoner. She's such a mental midget, in fact, that she doesn't recognize her boyfriend's true personality despite the abundance of evidence in front of her face until well into the film. The real award here goes to the always reliable Fred Ward as the alcoholic, cynical cop Hoke Moseley. Ward has never been as much fun to watch as he is in "Miami Blues." A recurring subplot of the film involves Moseley's dentures, which Frenger steals when he roughs up the sergeant. The best scene in the film involves the cop dining with the hapless Susan and Fred in their little house, a scene that is rightfully a masterpiece of magnificent acting.
If there are any faults with "Miami Blues," it is in deciding exactly what genre the film falls in. Is this a black comedy? A cops and robbers film? A romance picture? Well, it is all of them rolled up into one. A further surprise involves the 'PG-13' rating for the film. I can't imagine how the MPAA let this one slide through without a 'R' with all the bloody violence, nudity, and adult situations unfolding every other minute. Regrettably, the DVD version of the film contains no extras. What a shame; I would have liked to listen to a commentary track with Baldwin, Leigh, and Ward. I highly recommend "Miami Blues" to those viewers who like to watch something a little different.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film. Great Film.
Review: I hereby give this movie the retroactive Davecademy award for best picture, actor, and supporting actor and actress. I love this movie. It is entertaining, funny, and it refreshingly tells a story truer than most Hollywood drivel. Alec Baldwin is even cooler than 007 as an anti-James Bond. He's so cool I find myself unconciously mimicing "Herman Golliebs'" mannerisms to this day. As I have matured I notice even more depth to this movie than my first viewing from back in the day. Miami Blues is humorous, well-written, nicely shot, and tells interesting human stories.
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Summary: This movie rocks
Review: Just an all around great movie. The directing is outstanding and you are never bored. Alec Baldwin does a superb job of portraying a Pysco criminal.
Rating:
Summary: This movie rocks
Review: Just an all around great movie. The directing is outstanding and you are never bored. Alec Baldwin does a superb job of portraying a Pysco criminal.
Rating:
Summary: Sleeper Which Knocks Your Socks Off
Review: Never writing a review of one of my favorite movies is a major oversight on my part. "Miami Blues," adapted from a book by Charles Willeford, is a movie which has great impact. Alec Baldwin portrays Frederic Frenger Jr. (aka "Junior"), a man whose middle name should be "Trouble." He is a person capable of anything at any time. Arriving in Florida after his release from prison, Frenger instantly starts up with his modus operandi. Forging some documents in order to attain someone else's identity (the drugged Herman Gottlieb), he walks through the airport and is confronted by a Hari Krishni member; without hesitation, Junior breaks one of the man's fingers. The man dies. This sets up the plot. Frenger is now wanted for homicide. We are introduced to Hoke Mosely, a nicely drawn character. He's a career cop out to get to the bottom of the Hari Krishna's demise. He's told someone with a "suede sportcoat" was the culprit -- this is Junior in Herman Gottlieb's clothing. We find Junior shacked up in a seedy hotel, where he hooks up with Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, Susie. She's a simple gal from Florida who is working her way through college engaged in the "oldest profession." They take to each other instantly and decide to move in together. As a newly formed couple, the dialogue between the conniving psychopath and the honest prostitute with a heart of gold is hilarious as they talk about their future ... with Mosely hot on the trail. Won't give anymore details except to say this movie will not disappoint. Solid performances of well-drawn characters. Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Fred Ward (as Sgt. Hoke Mosely) are exceptional. Look for Paul Gleason (of "The Breakfast Club" and "Trading Places") as a crooked cop. As usual, his trademark style and character are very entertaining. Miami Blues: A movie to buy, see again every so often, and discuss with friends.
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