Miracle Mile (1988)

Nice effects though.

Absolutely brilliant

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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.

In amid the unfunny comedies and silly romantic tales of the late '80s movie business comes this absorbing, interesting gem of a film dealing with the threat of nuclear war. Achieving wonders on what is a low budget, this is an intelligent, accurate slice of film-making which remains gripping from start to finish. The decision to make this a character-focused piece of drama, instead of a special effects intense film (think : Armageddon), makes it all the more thrilling in that we care about the people involved.A cast of mostly unknowns, only familiar from television, do a pretty good job to convey the fear as the clock ticks down to nuclear warfare. Another clever plot device is to have the film playing out in real time, so the viewer can also count the seconds ticking down to the strike, making it all the more intense. Anthony Edwards, while appearing somewhat wimpish and cowardly as the lead, does a great job, being as he is a messenger of death to most of the cast. You can really feel for his frantic plight as he rushes across the city and engages in all sorts of mishaps and violence. Many familiar faces turn up in bit parts, from Denise Crosby to the black police chief from ROBOCOP, who here plays the café owner. Also popping up are THE TERMINATOR's Doctor Silberman and Brian Thompson, the chief baddie in COBRA. Old timers John Agar and Lou Hancock provide a few laughs as the stubborn couple who are brought together by the threat - a cliché, yes, but a good one.There are plenty of tense, nail biting moments in this film. The café scene, where Edward struggles to convince the locals of the threat, is a great one, as is the petrol station incident which explodes into unexpected tragic violence. But it's in the final stages where the film really comes into it's own, showing a city in chaos, full of crashed cars, looters, and people who have lost all their scruples and are more than willing to kill in a bid to survive. It's clever how this film shows how such a threat can change people in different ways, reverting human society back to its basic principles. Widespread chaos is easily conveyed in some powerful, dramatic scenes of turmoil and confusion at the end, which are very impressive on a low budget and good at putting across the hopelessness of the situation.Okay, so the nuclear blast, when it comes, isn't very impressive (after all, they didn't have that big a budget, and I still think TERMINATOR 2 is the final word on portraying a horrific nuclear attack via spectacular effects), and the film does descend into some awful sentimentality in the dragged-out conclusion, with some terrible romantic stuff between Edwards and Winningham. But ignore these faults and instead focus on the ideas and issues behind this character-led piece of intense drama, and you'll have a great time.

There's so much going on here behind the plot. This isn't just a film about the end of the world. It's about people during the end of the world. In that aspect the film hits the bulls-eye. Miracle Mile carries with it the triumph of the human spirit. The real-time idea is deftly handled, and I find it fantastic that the world is coming to an end on the exact same time-line as the film. There is no question as to how much time is left. It's a runaway- snowball-of-a-film, with perfect characterizations and a flawless timeline. Good camera work. Holds up great for its age. Tangerine Dreams music fits perfectly. Anthony Edwards is great, the pacing is frantic, and the ending is abrupt, sad, and thought-provoking. The acting, the music and the direction is superb. I can't recommend this one enough, but you'll have to take some the the production pitfalls and weirdness of the film with a grain of salt to truly appreciate all the subtle touches. This is a film where you may find something new and cool with each subsequent viewing. I do.The film sums up the cold war with one answer from Edwards, when the mother of his love interest asks him "why?". .. "I don't know why", Edwards says, and then he gets back to his mission at hand - righting his last wrong, trying to control his own destiny.amazing how it goes from cool-calm, to crazy, to wildly crazy in seconds. The number one criticism of the film is its' occasional moments of implausibility and quirky-ness(as much a strength as a weakness). A unique flick that really seems to be getting better with age.

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