Miami Blues is a 1990 American neo-noir black comedy crime drama film written and directed by George Armitage, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Charles Willeford. It stars Fred Ward (who also served as an executive producer), Alec Baldwin, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Frederick J. Frenger Jr. (who asks to be called "Junior"), a violent sociopath and self-described thief who "steals from other thieves", is recently released from a California prison, and starts a new life in Miami. Before leaving the airport, he steals a stranger's luggage and unintentionally kills a Hare Krishna by breaking his index finger. Junior checks into a hotel and hooks up with Susie Waggoner, a naive part-time prostitute who is a student at a community college. They become romantically involved and move into a house together, with Susie blissfully unaware of Junior's criminal activities and harboring fantasies of living happily ever after.

Later, while Susie is taking a bath and writing a haiku, Junior decides to break into a nearby apartment. He steals an IMI Desert Eagle handgun, a coin collection and some pork chops. As he is doing this, he speaks aloud a haiku of his own: "Breaking, entering. The dark and lonely places. Finding a big gun."

An investigation of the Hare Krishna murder leads grizzled policeman Sgt. Hoke Moseley to come knocking on their door. Moseley shares a home-cooked dinner with the couple, upon Susie's suggestion, and plays it cool while seemingly indicating to Junior that he is on to him. He overtly suspects Junior has been in prison and wants him to come to the police station for a lineup. In response, Junior goes to Moseley's home the next day, assaults him and steals his gun, badge and dentures. Junior begins using the badge, impersonating a police officer by breaking up robberies, hold-ups, and other criminal solicitations only to keep the loot for himself or demanding bribes as rewards afterward.

While at a convenience store, Junior witnesses an armed robbery and decides to break it up. He lectures the gunman about avoiding a life of crime, but the gunman runs a truck over him. Junior complains to Susie that the "straight life" has made him too soft. Moseley tracks down the couple through a utility account opened up in Susie's name. He pretends to run into her at the grocery store, where they swap recipes. After she lies that she has left Junior, Moseley tells her that Junior is a murderer and that he and the police are looking for him.

Back home, to test whether he will lie to her, Susie deliberately ruins a pie by putting an excessive amount of vinegar in it. To her disappointment, Junior compliments the dessert and eats it with gusto, though his face gives it away somewhat. The next day, Junior asks Susie to drive him around town on errands. Their first stop is a pawn shop, which he robs. In the course of the robbery, Junior kills the pawnbroker's bodyguard and seriously injures her, but not before she chops several of his fingers off.

Badly injured, Junior limps to the car, but Susie drives away upon realizing what he has done. Moseley pursues him to the house, where he shoots and kills Junior in self-defense. Being ironic with his last words, Junior tells Moseley, "Susie's gonna get you, Sarge." Susie then arrives and Moseley asks why she stayed with him for so long. She explains that he was kind to her, ate everything she ever cooked and never hit her.

The film was the first feature directed by George Armitage in over a decade. He later recalled: