- Miami Blues
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Miami Blues
Theatrical release posterDirected by George Armitage Produced by Fred Ward
Ron Bozman
Kenneth Utt
Jonathan DemmeWritten by George Armitage Starring Alec Baldwin
Fred Ward
Jennifer Jason LeighMusic by Gary Chang Editing by Craig McKay Distributed by Orion Pictures Release date(s) April 20, 1990 Running time 97 min. (theatrical) Language English Miami Blues is a 1990 action-crime-thriller-film based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford. It stars Alec Baldwin, Fred Ward, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It was directed by George Armitage.
Plot
Frederick Frenger, Jr. (asks to be called "Junior"), a violent sociopath recently released from a California prison, starts a new life in Miami. Before leaving the airport, he steals luggage and kills a Hare Krishna after breaking his finger.
Junior checks into a hotel and hooks up with Susie Waggoner, an innocent prostitute who is a student at a community college. They become romantically involved, with Susie unaware of his criminal activities and harboring fantasies of living happily ever after.
An investigation of the Hare Krishna murder leads grizzled cop Sgt. Hoke Moseley to visit the couple. Moseley shares a home-cooked dinner with the couple, upon Susie's suggestion, and plays it cool while seemingly indicating to Junior that he's on to him. He overtly suspects Junior has been in prison and wants him to come to the police station for a lineup. Being a proactive criminal, Junior goes to Moseley's home that night, assaults him, and steals his gun and badge.
Junior begins using the badge, demanding bribes and breaking up robberies, only to keep the loot for himself. He's highly enjoying his new role as criminal with a badge and the perks it holds for him.
He rents a house and moves in with Susie, attempting a normal life as she happily cooks for him. While at a grocery store, he witnesses an armed robbery and decides to break it up. He lectures the gunman about avoiding a life of crime, but the gunman runs his truck over him. Junior complains to Susie that the "straight life" has made him too soft.
Moseley tracks down the couple through a utility account opened up in Susie's name. He pretends to run into her at the grocery store, where they swap recipes. She lies that she has left Junior after Moseley tells her that Junior's actually a murderer and that he is looking for him.
Back home, to test whether he will lie to her, Susie deliberately ruins a pie by adding too much vinegar to it. Frenger compliments the dessert and eats it with gusto.
The next day, Junior asks Susie to drive him around town on errands. Their first stop is a pawn shop, which he robs. In the course of the robbery, the pawnbroker chops off several of Frenger's fingers before being killed by him.
Badly injured, he limps to the car, but Susie drives away upon realizing what he's done. Moseley pursues him to the house, where he shoots and kills Junior. Junior, apparently hallucinating, tells Moseley, "Susie's gonna get you, Sarge." Susie then arrives and Moseley asks why she stayed with him for so long. She explains that he ate everything she ever cooked and never hit her.
Cast
- Alec Baldwin as Frederick J. Frenger Jr.
- Jennifer Jason Leigh as Susie Waggoner
- Fred Ward as Sgt. Hoke Moseley
- Charles Napier as Sgt. Bill Henderson
- Nora Dunn as Ellita Sanchez
- Obba Babatundé as Blink Willie
- Jose Perez as Pablo
- Paul Gleason as Sgt. Frank Lackley
External links
Films directed by George Armitage Hit Man (1972) · Vigilante Force (1976) · Miami Blues (1990) · Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) · The Big Bounce (2004)Categories:- English-language films
- 1990 films
- 1990s crime films
- American crime drama films
- Heist films
- Orion Pictures films
- Films set in Miami, Florida
- Films directed by George Armitage
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