Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 17, 2022

MVD's MVD Rewind Collection imprint is revisiting the 1990 film Miami Blues, which, as can be easily gleaned by clicking on that link, was originally released on Blu-ray several years ago by Shout! Factory. That version is now going for some pretty hefty bucks, at least as evidenced by our listing for it, and so while details will follow below, to cut to the chase, this release offers at least comparable and arguably somewhat superior technical merits, while also featuring an at least somewhat more fulsome supply of bonus features, and at a considerably more reasonable price than the older Blu-ray.

For my thoughts on the film, please head over to my Miami Blues Blu-ray review of the Shout! Factory release. That review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons (as always when I revisit a title that's been previously released, I've attempted to at least come close to duplicating some of the same frames with some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review).

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Miami Blues is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Rewind Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The differences between this presentation and the older Shout! one are admittedly not huge, but they can be noticeable at times. Compare the first screenshot accompanying this review with the first one from my Shout! review and you can get an idea of some of the subtle differences that can be seen with regard to suffusion, brightness and grain structure. As with the previous Shout! release, generally speaking this looks really nice a lot of the time, with good suffusion, a nicely popping palette and commendable detail levels. There are manifold if minor signs of age related wear and tear, some of which can be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review in particular. Grain is a bit more evident here. My score is 3.75.

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I frankly couldn't discern any real difference between the track on the Shout! disc and the LPCM 2.0 track on this disc. As with the Shout! version, the LPCM 2.0 mix offers great support for the fun soundtrack, which includes bookending performances of "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. Both the film's dialogue and source laden underscore are nicely detailed and full bodied. There are no issues with damage or distortion to report in this review. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available, and unlike the Shout! Factory Blu-ray release, this disc also offers French and Spanish language dubs.

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews with Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh (HD; 26:01)


• Photo Gallery (HD) is authored without a timecode, but does advance automatically, so have the Pause button on your remote handy if you want to linger on any given image.


• Trailers includes the following, as well as a few other releases from MVD:

  Miami Blues (Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 2:11)

  
  

  Miami Blues (Video Trailer) (SD; 1:57)

  
  

  Miami Blues (TV Spot 1) (SD; 00:31)

  
  

  Miami Blues (TV Spot 2) (SD; 00:30)

  
  

  Miami Blues (TV Spot 3) (SD; 00:32)

Additionally, the keepcase houses a collectible mini poster and the insert features reversible artwork. Packaging features a slipcover.

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alec Baldwin has been much in the news lately for reasons he would probably prefer to be different, but for those wanting to see a relatively early performance from him in an often brisk and genuinely entertaining film, Miami Blues should fit the bill quite nicely. As I mentioned in my review of the Shout! Factory release from years ago, Miami Blues can be unexpectedly touching at times despite a kind of tawdry side, and the film offers three remarkable performances by its trio of leading stars. Director Armitage keeps things breezily moving along, effortlessly segueing between in your face violence and some of the weirdest "domestic bliss" you've ever witnessed. Technical merits are more or less interchangeable with the Shout! release (though I'd rate this disc's video a tad higher), and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.