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Alec Baldwin, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nora Dunn, Charles Napier ... see more see more... , Jose Perez , Paul Gleason , Obba Babatundé , Martine Beswick , Caitlin Brown , Patrick Cherry , Nancy Duerr , Steve Geng , Joe Hess , Matt Ingersoll , Gary Howard Klar , Bobo Lewis , Carmen Lopez , Shirley Stoler , Ron Bozman , Gary Goetzman , Buddy Joe Hooker , Edward Saxon , Kenneth Utt , Roy Datz , Tony Tracy , Howard Feuer , Georgie Cranford , Herb Goldstein

Based on the late Charles Willeford's series of hard-boiled crime novels featuring Miami cop Hoke Moseley, the Jonathan Demme-produced Miami Blues opens with the prison release of Frederick Frenger Jr... read more read more.... (Alec Baldwin), a deranged killer who has barely de-boarded his plane before he's killed a Hare Krishna in the airport. Checking into his hotel, Frenger meets up with Susie Waggoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a young prostitute with dreams of domestic life, and the two quickly become romantically involved. Meanwhile, the Hare Krishna murder case is given to Moseley (Fred Ward), a grizzled vet who vows to hunt down Frenger, but may be getting too long in the tooth for the demands of his job. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Flixster Users

46% liked it

4,549 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

19 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: George Armitage

Release Date: April 20, 1990

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DVD Release Date: December 3, 2002

Stats: 172 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (172)


  • March 10, 2011
    It's better after a second viewing, but I wished I had liked this a lot more, after Edgar Wright recommended it. Alec Baldwin gives a great performance as a halfcocked psychopath whose love of life is so strong, mixed up and unscrupulous, he can't help but enjoy breaking fingers,... read more busting jaws, playing cops-and-robbers, shooting people on a gut feeling and answering questions about his preferred vegetables with a pause to think out the words "I don't want to talk about that at this time." The rhythm and humanity of the rest of the movie is not good enough to swing around Baldwin's homicidal urges and primitive faith in carpe diem.

    Demme produced this after directing Something Wild, where Ray Liotta's character was a lot like Alec Baldwin's here, although less wild-eyed and tilting at windfalls. But the earlier movie wasn't so relativistic about whether squares, suckers and slobs were living life more fully than a violent hoodlum, and about whether violence is just the law of nature that we've grown too soft and decadent to understand.
  • February 1, 2007
    Fine and enjoyable thriller and its mixture of satire, violence and social comment is fresh and invigorating, providing the perfect antidote to Miami Vice.
  • fb804722839
    March 9, 2012
    fb804722839
    An early Alec Baldwin starring role, and one of his best, this is a very good drama with some elements of a black comedy. Worth seeing for Baldwin's performance at the very least.
  • August 15, 2010
    Alec Baldwin and his hairy rug of chest have lots of sex with Jennifer Jason Leigh and terrorize retirees in South Beach. Pretty simple. Not a bad film at all, but tries to get you to empathize with Baldwin's character despite the fact the guy is a wackjob sociopath who has no co... read morenscience. It fails miserably and his demise is SOOOO satisfying!
  • September 16, 2009
    Alec Baldwin saves this movie from being pretty dumb & boring & actually makes it a pretty good dark humored film.
  • March 13, 2009
    I'm not a fan of fat Alec Baldwin in that overrated shit 30 Rock but skinny Baldwin did some solid stuff back in the day. In this one he plays a deranged criminal who steals a cop's badge (and teeth) and runs around Miami posing as a cop while he commits crimes. The other two lea... read moreds Ward and Leigh do a great job with their characters, overall it's a quick enjoyabe little film that is still generally unknown in most circles. A shame. And fuck 30 Rock, it's not funny.
  • July 20, 2007
    This one is about a small time criminal who jacks a cop, and goes around arresting thugs and taking their stuff. The ultimate smooth criminal movie.
  • September 19, 2006
    This gritty, wildly violent comedy has three great lead performances. Armitage is a Corman-trained, interesting director and all of his movies should at least be *seen* if not always liked.

Critic Reviews


Dan Fienberg
September 17, 2005
Dan Fienberg, Zap2it.com

Baldwin, Ward and Leigh are all perfect in this violent and funny and underseen gem.

James Sanford
April 7, 2005
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

One of Baldwin's best performances in a solid black comedy

Scott Weinberg
April 3, 2005
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Hard-boiled and consistently surprising. The entire cast shines.

Rob Thomas
October 1, 2004
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

A terrific crime movie that's both quirky and gritty.

Frank Ochieng
May 24, 2003
Frank Ochieng, Movie Eye

A cunningly hip crime caper that packs a decent amount of swagger

Jeffrey M. Anderson
February 27, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

A solid but unmemorable crime thriller.

Shane Burridge
January 1, 2000
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews

Disarming black comedy-drama stands out among others in the pack because its offbeat plot turns make it hard for the viewer to match a rhythm to it

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Facts


    • Frederick J. "Junior" Frenger: This world is a shithole.

Miami Blues : Watch Free on TV


Miami Blues Trivia


  • Alec Baldwin plays Junior, he steals a badge and a gun and starts robbing people. Made in 1990.  Answer »
  • Which of the following movies is NOT an adaptation of a story by Elmore Leonard?  Answer »

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