Miami Blues  

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Miami Blues (1990) is an American film based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford starring Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Fred Ward, and was directed by George Armitage.

When sociopath Fred Frenger (Baldwin) gets out of prison, he decides to start over in Miami, Florida, where he starts a violent one-man crime wave. He soon meets up with amiable college student/prostitute Susie Waggoner (Leigh). Opposing Frenger is Sgt Hoke Moseley (Ward), a cop who is getting a bit old for the job, especially since the job of cop in 1980s Miami is getting crazier all the time.

Plot

Frederick J. Frenger Jr. (who 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 by breaking his fingers. Junior checks into a hotel and hooks up with Susie Waggoner, a naive part time prostitute who is a student at a community college. They become romantically involved and move in to a house together, with Susie blissfully unaware of Junior's criminal activities and harboring fantasies of living happily ever after.

Later, while Susie is taking a bath and writing a haiku, Junior decides to break into a nearby apartment. He steals an IMI Desert Eagle handgun, a coin collection and some pork chops. As he is doing this, he speaks aloud a haiku of his own: "Breaking entering. The dark and lonely places. Finding a big gun".

An investigation of the Hare Krishna murder leads grizzled policeman Sgt. Hoke Moseley to come knocking on their door. 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. Junior goes to Moseley's home the next day, assaults him and steals his gun, police badge and dentures. Junior begins using the badge, demanding bribes as rewards after breaking up robberies, only to keep the loot for himself.

While at a convenience store, Junior witnesses an armed robbery and decides to break it up. He lectures the gunman about avoiding a life of crime, but the gunman runs a 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. After she lies that she has left Junior, Moseley tells her that Junior is a murderer and that he and the police are looking for him.

Back home, to test whether he will lie to her, Susie deliberately ruins a pie by putting an excessive amount of vinegar in it. To her disappointment, Junior compliments the dessert and eats it with gusto though his face gives it away somewhat. 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, Junior kills the pawnbroker, but not before she chops several of his fingers off.

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. Being ironic with his last words, Junior 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 was kind to her, ate everything she ever cooked and never hit her.

Cast

• Alec Baldwin as Frederick J. Frenger Jr.
• Fred Ward as Sgt. Hoke Moseley
• Jennifer Jason Leigh as Susie Waggoner
• Charles Napier as Sgt. Bill Henderson
• Nora Dunn as Ellita Sánchez
• Obba Babatundé as Blink Willie
• Shirley Stoler as Edie Wulgemuth
• Paul Gleason as Sgt. Frank Lackley

Soundtrack

Spirit in the Sky Performed and written by Norman Greenbaum Courtesy of Transtone Records c/o Celebrity Licensing, Inc. Bouke Performed by Lionel Benjamin et Les Freres DeJean Written by Lionel Benjamin Courtesy of Delta Records Don't Hurt My Feelings Performed by Freddie McGregor Written by Freddie McGregor Courtesy of Pow Wow Records, Inc. The Israelites Performed by Desmond Dekker & The Aces Written by Desmond Dekker & Leslie Kong Courtesy of Island Records Inc. Somewhere Tonight Performed by Highway 101 Written by Harlan Howard & Rodney Crowell Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc. By arrangement with Warner Special Products Island Blues Written by Mike Piccirillo & Gary Goetzman Floatin' Written by Mike Piccirillo & Gary Goetzman Lazy Love Affair Performed by Gerald Nelson Written by Gerald Nelson, Fred Burch & Harold Conner Courtesy of Coda Masters & Bug La Subienda Performed by Anibal Bravo y su Orquestra Written by Senen Palacios Courtesy of Kubaney Records Banana (Bobine) Performed by The Rebels Written by Johnny Ventura Courtesy of Kubaney Records Sweet Angel Performed by Chris Weber & Hollywood Rose Written by Chris Weber Courtesy of Summa Music Group You Again Performed by The Forester Sisters Written by Paul Overstreet Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc. By arrangement with Warner Special Products Society Ball (uncredited) Music by Ib Glindemann (as Dan Kirsten) "Chandelier Waltz (uncredited) Music by Ib Glindemann (as Dan Kirsten) Felicia My Love (uncredited) Music by Les Baxter Guru Sitar (uncredited) Music by Ole Georg (as Henrik Nielsen)

See also

• Fictional portrayals of psychopaths in film
• neo-noir black comedy crime drama film
• hair trigger
• Slapjack
• Fictional portrayals of psychopaths in film
• music = Gary Chang
• cinematography = Tak Fujimoto
• editing = Craig McKay
• distributor = Orion Pictures
• neo-noir black comedy crime drama film
• hair trigger