Director George Armitage's "Miami Blues" qualifies as a quirky, little, off-beat, crime thriller laced with bouts of humor and bursts of violence and. Armitage adapted "Miami Blues" from a series of novels by the late Charles Williford about Miami Police Detective Sergeant Hoke Moseley. Fred Ward plays Hoke with a good ole boy demeanor. Mind you, he isn't the kind of spit and polish cop who you'd set out to imitate. First, he is as blue collar as they come. Second, he is a bachelor. Third, he drives a beat-up car. Fourth, he lives in a cramped apartment. Fifth, he isn't worried about his wardrobe. Character actor that he is, Ward is a splendid fit as Hoke. He can be congenial, but he can be tough. Although he was the protagonist of several Williford novels, Hoke isn't the man to watch in this dandy 96-minute epic. Instead, the man of the hour is Frederick J. Frenger Jr. (Alec Baldwin of "The Hunt for Red October"), because he serves as the catalyst for everything that happens in this frivolous, fast-paced noir comedy.
Having recently been released from California's notorious San Quentin Prison, Frenger jumps on the first flight out for sunshiny Miami, Florida. Before he leaves the airport terminal, Frenger breaks the finger of a Hare Krishna who is harassing tourists. Incredibly, the poor slob dies from shock! Hoke is handed the case. Meanwhile, Frenger embarks on a crime rampage and hooks up a cute, sassy, bubble-brained, Southern prostitute, Pepper (Jennifer Jason Leigh of "Rush"), and they become a couple. Afterward, Pepper has good memories of her time with Frenger. First, she likes it that he loved her home cooking. Second, the ex-con refrained from smacking her around like a punching bag. Nevertheless, Frenger is flawed from the first. Not only is he a pathological liar, but he is also a career criminal. He doesn't have the least compunction of treading the straight and narrow. Instead, he prefers to take advantage of the other criminals. We watch him as he knocks off a gang of pickpocket thieves and thwarts redneck convenience store bandit.
If you can look past his gleaming eyes and charismatic grin, you'll know he is a dead man walking. It is only a matter of time until Hoke tracks Frenger down and quizzes him about the airport incident. Hoke meets Pepper, shares supper with the amorous couple, and helps them deplete their supply of booze. Later, the audacious Frenger attacks Hoke at his modest apartment, nearly breaks the sergeant's neck, swipes his badge, steals his false upper teeth, and lands him in the hospital. Three quarters of the way through "Miami Blues," Pepper figures it out. She spends too much time hoping for the best out of Frenger, but all she gets is the worst. Eventually, Hoke tracks down Frenger when he tries to sell a coin collection he stole from an apartment. The gruff old dame who eyeballs the coins introduces Frenger to her shotgun wielding bodyguard. Frenger doesn't like the way the guy looks at him and blows a couple of holes in him for the sheer delight of it. The old dame chops off two of his fingers with a machete. Frenger doesn't bat an eyelash and shoots her in the shoulder. In a showdown in the sunny streets of Miami, Hoke takes down Frenger. Although it never takes itself seriously, "Miami Blues" musters more than enough spontaneity to keep you watching it right up to the end credits with Norman Greenbaum's Top 40 hit "Spirit in the Sky." Suffice it to say, "Miami Blues" has a lot of spirit!
Having recently been released from California's notorious San Quentin Prison, Frenger jumps on the first flight out for sunshiny Miami, Florida. Before he leaves the airport terminal, Frenger breaks the finger of a Hare Krishna who is harassing tourists. Incredibly, the poor slob dies from shock! Hoke is handed the case. Meanwhile, Frenger embarks on a crime rampage and hooks up a cute, sassy, bubble-brained, Southern prostitute, Pepper (Jennifer Jason Leigh of "Rush"), and they become a couple. Afterward, Pepper has good memories of her time with Frenger. First, she likes it that he loved her home cooking. Second, the ex-con refrained from smacking her around like a punching bag. Nevertheless, Frenger is flawed from the first. Not only is he a pathological liar, but he is also a career criminal. He doesn't have the least compunction of treading the straight and narrow. Instead, he prefers to take advantage of the other criminals. We watch him as he knocks off a gang of pickpocket thieves and thwarts redneck convenience store bandit.
If you can look past his gleaming eyes and charismatic grin, you'll know he is a dead man walking. It is only a matter of time until Hoke tracks Frenger down and quizzes him about the airport incident. Hoke meets Pepper, shares supper with the amorous couple, and helps them deplete their supply of booze. Later, the audacious Frenger attacks Hoke at his modest apartment, nearly breaks the sergeant's neck, swipes his badge, steals his false upper teeth, and lands him in the hospital. Three quarters of the way through "Miami Blues," Pepper figures it out. She spends too much time hoping for the best out of Frenger, but all she gets is the worst. Eventually, Hoke tracks down Frenger when he tries to sell a coin collection he stole from an apartment. The gruff old dame who eyeballs the coins introduces Frenger to her shotgun wielding bodyguard. Frenger doesn't like the way the guy looks at him and blows a couple of holes in him for the sheer delight of it. The old dame chops off two of his fingers with a machete. Frenger doesn't bat an eyelash and shoots her in the shoulder. In a showdown in the sunny streets of Miami, Hoke takes down Frenger. Although it never takes itself seriously, "Miami Blues" musters more than enough spontaneity to keep you watching it right up to the end credits with Norman Greenbaum's Top 40 hit "Spirit in the Sky." Suffice it to say, "Miami Blues" has a lot of spirit!
