Blu-Ray Review: Miracle Mile

By Brendan Ross

4:00 a.m. A payphone rings outside of an all-night diner in L.A. Our protagonist warily answers it, opening up the line to a frantic missile silo employee lamenting about imminent nuclear destruction set to hit in 70 minutes. Gunshot sounds are heard in the background. A man’s voice takes over the phone.

“Forget everything you’ve just heard and go back to sleep”

This ominously sets the scene for the remaining 70-minute run time of Miracle Mile. The previous 20 minutes, however, set a much different tone.

Preceding all of the apocalyptic panic and race-against-the-clock action, we are first introduced to our leads Harry (Anthony Edwards), a world-weary saxophonist and Julie (Mare Winningham), a carefree waitress, meeting and instantly falling in love at the La Brea Tar Pits (translation: the The Tar Tar Pits).

In what could have just as easily been the set up to a romantic comedy, we are soon subjected to a montage of them spending the day together which, although done in earnest, comes damn close to rivalling the “Something Tells Me I’m Into Something Good” scene from Naked Gun. They go to a fancy restaurant and pay an exorbitant price to purchase lobsters from the tank just so they can set them free in the Pacific Ocean. Fun! She comes to see him showboating his sax skills in his touring jazz band with her grandfather as her date (same afternoon, mind you). Adorable! The day ends with them making plans to meet after she ends her shift at the diner, but an unexpected power failure causes him to miss his alarm, and her. This brings us back to the first paragraph of this review.

As someone who is obsessed with up-all-night films in which events unfold from dusk until dawn, this movie is a godsend to me. There’s no question that it is a little silly at times, but in a way that never detracts from its foreboding dread and genuine intensity during the events that follow. Edwards is especially outstanding as the lead, and despite Winningham’s unfortunate haircut, the two of them have great chemistry together.

Thanks to the fine folks at Kino Lorber, Miracle Mile is available on Blu-ray for the first time ever, and they did the beautiful and vibrant film justice with a fantastic re-master. Every shot in this film is absolutely stunning in its composition and vivid color palette, and Kino clearly took the time to make those images pop.

Another thing worth gushing over is the phenomenal score. German prog legends Tangerine Dream continue their reign of successfully transforming every film they touch into a surreal and otherworldly experience. Although less known than their classic scores for films like Risky Business and Thief, the Miracle Mile score is undoubtedly some of their best work and the Blu-ray captures it beautifully.

Special features may be sparse, but are definitely significant. Two commentary tracks occupy the disc: one with director Steve De Jarnatt and film critic Walter Chaw (who has written an entire book devoted to Miracle Mile), and a second with De Jarnatt and cinematographer Theo Van De Sande. Also included are some deleted scenes, outtakes, and an alternate ending, all of which are mildly interesting but nothing to write home about.

An introspective interview with Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham is satisfying, however. They seem excited to be in the same room together and it’s quite obvious that they both genuinely love the film.

For me, the one feature that makes purchasing the disc a no-brainer is the supporting cast and crew reunion. As a rabid 1980s fan, seeing Kurt Fuller, Denise Crosby, O-Lan Jones, Jenette Goldstein, and so many other amazing character actors shooting the shit in one location was an absolute dream, and something I can see myself watching again and again.

Miracle Mile was released by Kino Lorber on July 28.