Miracle Mile (1988)

Strong and Moving!

Redundant and unnecessary.

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

"Miracle Mile" (1988) actually came highly recommended to me. And that's perplexing, because this is a pretty bad nuclear war thriller that I'd only grudgingly rate a 4 out of 10.The script is terrible. We know that from the film's opening minutes, when it attempts to establish Anthony Edwards as a likable protagonist by showing him performing impromptu stand-up for schoolchildren on a field trip to a Los Angeles natural history museum. (He is not a chaperone for the field trip, or connected with these schoolchildren in any way. He apparently just hangs around alone at museums to inexplicably crack jokes for children he does not know.)From there, we follow an abortive, cloddishly written romance between two mostly unappealing characters. (Mare Winningham is the other half of the romance doomed by the impending apocalypse.) I won't bore you with the details about the ensuing end-of-the-world thriller, except that an implausible plot device gives the nascent couple and a handful of secondary characters advance knowledge of the nuclear missiles that will hit Los Angles in just more than an hour.Even the acting was mostly poor. Surprisingly, this includes the performance by Edwards himself, who has shown nothing but talent in every other role in which I've seen him.The movie comes close to redeeming itself near the end. Its obligatory chaos-in-the-streets set-piece is surprisingly well done for an otherwise mediocre film, and there are a few good lines when the couple reunites at the movie's finale. I suppose you can also have a lot of fun spotting a bevy of other character-actors from the 80's and 90's.I … can't actually recommend this, though. I can't remember the last time I was this disappointed by a film that my friends insisted was great. Check out 1983's "Special Bulletin," instead. Or, better yet, hunt down Britain's superb nuclear war mini-series, "Threads" (1984).

Back in 1980's and early 90's, the threat of nuclear war still played on many people's minds. With the umpteenth Cold War kicked off by the rise to power of Mikhail Gorbachev in the USSR, an arms race commenced between the Soviets and the US under president Ronald Reagan, until the Soviet Union eventually collapsed in 1991. Miracle Mile takes these fears and ponders what the knowledge of an incoming nuclear strike and imminent death would do to a person while everybody goes about their business none the wiser. By leaving it until the very end to confirm whether or not World War III has officially commenced, or if it's all in the mind of its increasingly paranoid and desperate protagonist, Miracle Mile is a tense and often funny end-of-the-world (or not) thriller.The film begins with a meeting between two singletons, trombone player Harry (Anthony Edwards) and coffee shop waitress Julie (Mare Winningham). It's love at first sight and they agree to meet up again later after Julie finishes her shift to grab a bite to eat. Harry oversleeps however, and by the time he makes it to the coffee shop, Julie is nowhere to be found. As he nervously waits outside, the phone rings in the nearby telephone booth. The man on the other line, who believes he is calling his father, informs Harry that an irreversible nuclear strike has been set in motion, and the U.S. has approximately one hour before complete annihilation. The man is cut short by machine gun fire, before another voice tells Harry to forget everything he has heard. After a bit of further investigation, the outlandish claim start to ring true. Deciding he would rather spend his last moments with the woman he loves, Harry begins his search, always clinging to the belief that they can somehow escape with their lives.With much of the action dedicated to Harry's panicked dash across a sleeping Los Angeles, where he encounters many offbeat characters played by the likes of Mykelti Williamson, Denise Crosby, Eddie Bunker and Brian Thompson, Miracle Mile brought to mind the enthralling aimlessness of Martin Scorsese's After Hours, and the eerie emptiness of a nighttime city of Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia. There's real tension in the events leading up to the possible apocalypse, and even more so when word begins to spread and downtown turns into sheer chaos and lawlessness. At the film's centre is the romance between Harry and Julie, and there's a sweetness to the irony of meeting your true love on the day the world will be reduced to rubble. It's played nicely by the two leads, with Edwards reminding us that he is a solid character actor deserving of more movie roles. A true forgotten gem that leaves you wondering if you would rather be given the chance to make the most of your last moments on Earth, or remain blissfully ignorant.

This gut wrenching, horrific story sort of sneaks up on you, due to writer & director Steve De Jarnatt. It starts out pretty lighthearted, the tale of a 30 year old jazz musician, Harry Washello (Anthony Edwards), who believes that he may have finally found true love with diner waitress Julie Peters (Mare Winningham). Circumstances force him to miss their first date, but things take a much grimmer tone when Harry decides to pick up a ringing pay phone. The panicked caller tells him that the first strikes of a nuclear war are imminent. While Harry ponders the possibility that he's just the victim of a sick joke, he eventually learns that the threat is real. He becomes obsessed with finding Julie and flying out of the city to supposed safety.It's likely that some people will have issues with "Miracle Mile". It's not always logical, or probable. And it does make you ask some questions. Why does Harry think Julie won't be able to handle the truth? He just met her. Why can't she just do as she's told? Why do the characters dawdle when they know time is of the essence?That said, De Jarnatt truly knows how to upset, and work up his audience. He still has odd flashes of humour here and there once the threat is validated, but he's not afraid to show humanity at its worst, in the face of a major crisis. He keeps the action taut for about two thirds of the movie, but loses a bit of momentum in his final third. Use of various L. A. locations is superb, and the music score by Tangerine Dream is simply haunting and wonderful.The first rate cast is full of familiar faces. Edwards and Winningham are extremely engaging, and Julies' grandparents are played by the ever delightful John Agar and Lou Hancock of "Evil Dead II". Also appearing are Mykelti Williamson, Kelly Jo Minter (wasted once again, in a next to nothing part), Kurt Fuller (tearing the scenery to pieces as the stressed out Gerstead), Denise Crosby, Robert DoQui, O-Lan Jones, Claude Earl Jones, Alan Rosenberg, Danny De La Paz, Earl Boen, Edward Bunker, Brian Thompson, and Jenette Goldstein."Miracle Mile" has a fairly nightmarish quality towards the end, which is something you won't soon forget.Seven out of 10.

OK. So maybe this movie isn't exactly all that realistic. The storyline is rather contrived, but the way they pull it off was exceptional. Director Steve De Jarnatt knows how to build suspense, and keep you on edge throughout the film as it slowly builds. I also give credit to the amazing group, Tangerine Dream. They created an infamous theme for Risky Business, and did the same here in Miracle Mile with some memorable stuff. Miracle Mile is not just about the end of the world, or nuclear destruction, it's about love, with a beautiful love story between Harry (Anthony Edwards) and Julie (Mare Winningham) They portray the hero & heroine respectively. They manage to make you believe in their romance, and I was on their side the whole way. The infamous call sequence with the caller who informs Harry about the nuclear missiles, and the restaurant sequence which commences afterwards is one of the most chilling sequences you will find in a movie. It's drenched with suspense, and actually terrified me. The way these people act with end of the world threats, was actually quite accurate. You can't really depend on your fellow man to stay calm, or anything like that, everyone panics. Anthony Edwards is magnificent as the lead. His frantic and vulnerable performance was chilling at times, and his chemistry with Winningham was bang on. Mare Winningham isn't all that attractive in the classical sense, but I dare you to not try and fall in love with her, because you can't help but do so. I absolutely loved her. Kurt Fuller's hysterical, OTT performance was a blast to watch, and provides some laughs. The finale is adroitly done, and manages to make your emotions go all over the place. I tried predicting what was gonna happen, but I wasn't able to do so, because it kept throwing new things in my way. It also poses this question. What would you do with your hours left to live? How would you spend it? How would you react? Would you riot in the streets like they did in this movie? Spend it with your loved ones? Choose to get drunk, to have one final, fun night? End it before the world has a chance to end? It's really creepy to think about. I would definitely spend my last hours with Harry & Julie; they are two people worth spending my last hours with. Final Thoughts: A thought provoking film, and one that will stick with you. It's a frightening prescient social commentary, and from the IMDb rating, it seems I am not alone with thinking this film is underrated. It's sadly neglected when it comes to great 80's films, but not by me. It's a must see!8.6/10