Miracle Mile

Last week I posted on some earlier works starring Matthew Modine. Another actor that I find similar to Modine is Anthony Edwards. Edwards mostly found his fame on the small screen when he starred in ER. On the big screen he has found success playing the sidekick in movies like Revenge Of The Nerds and Top Gun, but he never quite reached leading man status. One of the movies he starred in is a terrific little, end of the world thriller, 1988's Miracle Mile.

A horn player named Henry, Edwards, meets the girl of his dreams, Julie, Mare Winningham, one day while visiting the La Brea Tar Pits. The two hit it off instantly and spend the rest of the day together. They make plans to meet at a diner later that evening, but Henry oversleeps. He races to the diner and calls her from a payphone outside to tell her what has happened, but he just gets her answering machine. After waiting around awhile, Henry calls it a night and heads out of the diner just as that same payphone outside begins to ring. Hoping that it's Julie, Henry picks up the phone and hears a panicked man who has called a wrong number. The man on the other end thinks he has called his dad and is trying to warn him that a nuclear war is about to break out. Not sure if this is just a prank or if it's the real deal, Henry goes back into the diner to tell the patrons, leading to mass hysteria as Henry searches for Julie.

This is a great and suspenseful ride. It reminded me a lot of The Mist. The terrific thing is the not knowing if this was a joke or the real deal. Writer/Director Steve De Jarnatt has crafted a really clever film. The script actually sat on the shelf for a decade before it went into production. Most of the studios wanted a more upbeat film and something on a bigger scale. Warner Brothers even bought the script, and considered it to be a part of the Twilight Zone movie as long as they could change the ending.. De Jarnatt stood by his guns and saved up the funds to buy it back so he could make the film he wanted.

Both Edwards and Winningham do a terrific job in their roles and are surrounded by some great character actors like Mykelti Williamson, Denise Crosby, O-Lan Jones, and Kurt Fuller. Crispin Glover and Jack Nance were both considered for supporting roles as well. There's also a terrific, moody score from Tangerine Dream.

Even though it's a little bleak, Miracle Mile is definitely is one worth seeking out.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.