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Miami Blues

Miami Blues

Action · Crime · Drama · 1990

After Junior is released from prison, he plans on starting a new life in Miami. But when he kills a man in the airport, he flees the scene and finds Susie, a mild-mannered prostitute searching for stability. The two opposites become romantically involved, and Junior steals a badge and gun from a veteran detective. Using the officer's identity, Junior embarks on a crime spree and convinces Susie that he is the perfect man.

Movie details

Miami Blues

“Real badge. Real gun. Fake cop.”

1990 Action · Crime · Drama 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.4 / 10

10.4K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

86 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

72 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

After Junior is released from prison, he plans on starting a new life in Miami. But when he kills a man in the airport, he flees the scene and finds Susie, a mild-mannered prostitute searching for stability. The two opposites become romantically involved, and Junior steals a badge and gun from a veteran detective. Using the officer's identity, Junior embarks on a crime spree and convinces Susie that he is the perfect man.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Miami Blues?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

George Armitage

Written by

George Armitage

Fred Ward

Fred Ward

Sergeant Hoke Moseley

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin

Frederick J. Frenger Jr.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Susie Waggoner

Nora Dunn

Nora Dunn

Ellita Sanchez

Charles Napier

Charles Napier

Sergeant Bill Henderson

Shirley Stoler

Shirley Stoler

Edie Wulgemuth

Bobo Lewis

Bobo Lewis

Edna Damrosch

Court is in session

Put Miami Blues on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.