Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 28, 2015

It may not have qualified as an actual public service announcement, but one of the more salient pieces of advice I received many years ago when I lived in San Francisco was “don’t make eye contact with the Moonies.” This was in the day when the followers of Sun Myung Moon and his Unification Church of the United States had more or less replaced “hippies” as one of the predominant subcultures in Baghdad by the Bay, and they weren’t shy about, for example, just walking up to random strangers on Market Street and engaging in a form of friendly but insistent proselytization that could quickly become annoying. Anyone who has experienced something like that, whether from Moonies or Jehovah’s Witnesses or Latter Day Saint missionaries or any number of other “enthusiastic” religions, may therefore not be especially shocked when ex-con Frederick J. Frenger Jr. (Alec Baldwin) hops off a plane in Miami, absconds with an untended piece of luggage, and then calmly assaults a Hare Krishna who wants to tell him about a “new Vedic” masterpiece. Frenger has no problem snapping the poor hapless acolyte’s finger, leaving the guy in shock on the airport floor as Freddie beats a hasty retreat with his stolen goods. Later, holed up in a surprisingly luxe Miami hotel room, Freddie asks concierge Pablo (Jose Perez) to secure him the services of a working girl, which is when a woman identifying herself as Pepper (Jennifer Jason Leigh) shows up at Freddie’s room. Pepper turns out to be a nom de plume (so to speak) for one Susie Waggoner, but since Freddie himself goes by a number of aliases, including Junior and Herman Gottlieb, the name on a driver’s license Freddie has evidently absconded with, it doesn’t seem to be a deal breaker, and perhaps indicates these two odd folks are in some way meant for each other. When that perky Hare Krishna actually ends up dying from a heart attack caused by the finger snapping, a shopworn detective named Hoke Moseley (Fred Ward) gets involved on the case, at which point Junior and Susie find that happily ever after may have a few speed bumps on the way.

Jonathan Demme was a driving force behind Miami Blues, even if he didn’t direct it, and the film has a certain Demme-esque quirkiness about it, from that very first scene where we are instantly introduced to Junior’s penchant to steal anything within reach and not to hesitate to do really stupid things like attack a Hare Krishna. Writer-director George Armitage really wastes no time in bringing original novelist Charles Willeford’s unique characters into the story, and in fact the film’s breathless pace is one of its most appealing attributes.

Though awkward at times, the original assignation between Junior and Susie ultimately leads to a romance, though one that is perhaps a bit mendacious on the part of Junior, as he knows the young girl has a bit of cash stashed away. Susie, who wasn’t all that happy about her “career” as a prostitute, is a starry-eyed romantic and doesn’t seem to care that Junior’s supposed “business” activities might not be exactly what he makes them out to be.

The two end up officially setting up house together, but soon their supposed domestic bliss is interrupted by Hoke, through a series of almost accidental leads the dogged sergeant has been following. That ends up in the first showdown between Hoke and Junior, where it’s obvious neither man is revealing the entirety of their knowledge. What’s kind of interesting here is that even by Hoke’s standards, the death of the Hare Krishna is actually no big deal, and in some ways this initial investigation is almost rote. Hoke jokes at the death scene with a buddy, but at the same time dutifully follows up on all leads. Hoke hasn’t fully checked up on Junior (who’s still going by an alias, anyway), though he has his own suspicions as to the character’s past, and that suspicion finally provokes Junior into yet another stupid round of violence.

Junior actually brutally attacks Hoke, ending up stealing the badly wounded cop’s badge, gun, identification and (in a final, stunning blow of humiliation) dentures. That sets the film off on a sudden wild detour where Junior assumes Hoke’s identity and begins pretending to be a cop, something that only further plays into his sociopathic tendency to rob everyone blind. However at the same time Junior almost stumbles into at least a couple of other scenarios where he actually helps matters, something that ironically only further humiliates the barely ambulatory Hoke.

All three of the central performances in Miami Blues are first rate. Ward is excellent in a hangdog role, at times radiating a stunned disbelief that a character as dunderheaded as Junior could be causing so much trouble. Baldwin is feral and slimy as Junior, perfectly embodying a sociopathic narcissism. It's Leigh's Susie, though, who's the heart and soul of this film, and her gentle, sweet but ultimately smarter than she looks sensibility provide most of the film's emotional quotient.

Miami Blues is a wonderfully outré outing that is at times a bit reminiscent of writers like Elmore Leonard, with outsized but still basically believable characters acting in sometimes outrageous ways. What’s so interesting about the film is its kind of bizarre mashup of gonzo criminal scenes with an almost sweet love story. Almost being the operative word, since Susie’s naivete proves to be her undoing—at least for a little while. It’s fascinating that Junior’s downfall begins with vinegar, for much like that additive Susie pours into a pie mix to test Junior’s honesty, Miami Blues has a pungent tartness that’s quite distinctive.

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Miami Blues is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While there are occasional issues with minor damage and minus density (see screenshot 8), overall this is a really solid and nice looking transfer that capably reproduces the film's pastel ambience quite nicely. A lot of the film takes place in brightly lit environments, something that helps to deliver not just appealing color but very good to excellent amounts of fine detail. Contrast is consistent and even some of the nighttime sequences boast significant amounts of detail. Grain resolves naturally throughout this presentation, are there are no overt signs of excessive digital manipulation of the image.

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Miami Blues' 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.

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews (1080p; 26:01) features some interesting discussions with Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh.


• Trailer (1080p; 2:11)

Miami Blues Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It had been years since I had last seen Miami Blues, and I had actually forgotten what a wacky movie it is. Unexpectedly touching at times despite a kind of tawdry side, the film offers three remarkable performances by its trio of leading stars. 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 generally strong, the new interviews are enjoyable, and Miami Blues comes Recommended.