Junior Frenger (Alec Baldwin, The Departed, “30 Rock”) is trouble and Sgt. Hoke Moseley (Fred Ward, Tremors, Short Cuts) knows it. Junior, smooth-talking, good-looking ex-con tiptoes on the borderline of psychotic behavior in this thriller-with-a-comic-edge. Moseley is the detective hot on his trail after Junior kills a Hare Krishna, robs a pickpocket, then steals Moseley’s badge, his gun… and even his false teeth. Junior’s running around the streets of Miami posing as a cop, assaulting people and making arrests. And even though he promises his live-in lover (an ex-prostitute played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight) that he’ll stay out of crime, he continues playing cops and robbers on both sides of the law. Quirky and unpredictable, Miami Blues has been hailed by critics and the public alike as a dark, comic cops-and-robbers thriller unlike any other.
For thoughts on Miami Blues, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Miami Blues makes its return to Blu-Ray via the MVD Rewind Collection with a 1080p transfer after previously being available from Shout! Factory. While I do not have access to that release, it is pretty likely this slightly dated master is derived from the same source. Admittedly, a fresh scan would probably clear up some lingering issues, the results are by and large very fetching with lovely organic film grain that has not been digitally tweaked and robbed of its texture. You will not find any significant damage that would take you out of the experience, but this print still has some occasional nicks and scratches present.
This is a film that takes place primarily during the bright daytime with colors that radiate off of the screen. The palette is nicely suffused as it captures the vivid Miami landscape. The black levels are fairly strong with a decent amount of depth with only the rare moment of crush or banding. The transfer is mostly clear and detailed, but you do have moments that run on the soft side or experience some fluctuations in density. The transfer does reveal some nice detail in the production design and texture of clothing. This is a strong presentation for a film that has been out of circulation for a little while.
Audio Quality
MVD Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with an LPCM 2.0 track that effortlessly captures this story. One of the first things you will notice is the fun soundtrack as you are introduced to the film. The music never lacks in fidelity as it flows through the speakers. The bizarre dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the tunes or sound effects. Environmental effects are precisely delineated including seagulls and moments of gunfire. This track does not present with any noticeable instances of age related wear and tear. You could not ask for better from this track. Optional English (SDH), French and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Interviews with Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh: A 26-minute piece filmed sometime around its original inclusion on the 2015 Shout! Factory Blu-Ray in which Baldwin and Leigh reflect back on their experiences with the film including how it fit into their careers, opened up opportunities, their admiration for one another, their feelings about their characters, the odd humor in the film, the preparations they did for the role and more. It is a nice surprise to see these two discussing this movie when they are both much more established stars these days.
- Photo Gallery: A collection of stills from the film, marketing materials, and more are provided here.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (2:11), Home Video Trailer (1:57) and TV Spots (0:31, 0:30, 0:32) for Miami Blues. The disc also features trailers for other MVD releases including The Fabulous Baker Boys, Vampire’s Kiss and Desperate Hours.
- Poster: A fold-out poster of the cover art is included in the case.
Final Thoughts
Miami Blues is a film that has the artifice of something very different than it ends up being. What really draws you into this story are the offbeat characters who seem genuine even when they are doing or saying the most unexpected things. The trio of lead performers are all equally committed to selling the truth of their characters which allows the audience to become more invested in their journey. The film is paced really well and the story offers a good mixture of humor and drama. MVD Entertainment has offered up a fun Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and a couple of special features. If you like crime films that have a kooky sheen to them, you will not regret picking this up. Recommended
Miami Blues is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.