Best movie of this year hands down!

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Miracle Mile according to me is one of the most underrated movies made in the 80s. Starring Anthony Edwards(Goose from Top Gun) and Mare Winningham the entire film takes place in real time in the course of one night. It starts off like any romantic movie- boy meets girl and promise to meet for date 2 which never happens as suddenly there is a threat of nuclear war and a bomb being dropped. The sense of urgency, surreal atmosphere and fantastic pacing make Miracle Mile a winner and a film that deserves to be seen more than it has. Please see it and spread the word.

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.

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