Classics in Florida
Key Largo by John Huston (1948) is by far the most famous film shot in the Keys. Starring the mythical couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in the main roles, the film is largely set in Key Largo. Frank, a former officer, goes to Key Largo to meet the father of his friend killed in the fighting in Italy, and Nora Temple, his widow. Temple is the owner of a hotel occupied by gangsters. During a hurricane that isolates the house, they try to escape on a boat and force Frank to pilot it... Originally, the first of the Upper Keys was not called Key Largo but Rock Harbor. It is to Hollywood magic that the island owes its name change! Anxious to bring a little more fame to their island, the locals made petition after petition to obtain the name change; Key West had Hemingway, Rock Harbor had to have Bogie. They were successful in 1952 and the island has been called Key Largo ever since.
In Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959), two unemployed jazz musicians turn into musicians to escape gangsters and go to Florida with a female band. They fall in love with a beautiful blonde who wants to marry a billionaire.
One of the most cult films shot in Miami is Scarface (1984) by Brian de Palma. It follows the journey of Tony "Scarface" Montana, Cuban immigrant in Miami. Ambitious, he devises a plan to eliminate a mafia boss in the drug business. The film deals with the social violence and the living conditions of Cuban immigrants in Florida, who are parked in camps. We follow the odyssey of a man who desperately wants to get away from his condition and take revenge for the social injustice he has suffered, until he loses his mind. Operating within a mafia network that he seeks to control, he finds himself facing the same problems that govern civil society: richer men at the head of more powerful companies, against whom he can do nothing. A dark tragedy of the 20th century.
On a lighter note, Michael Bay's famous crime comedy Bad Boys (1995) is set in Miami. The film tells the adventures of two policemen played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Mike is a womanizer while Marcus Burnett is a family man, and their methods are completely opposite. Bad Boys 2 was released in 2003 and a third part of the saga in 2018.
Today's successes
In 2008, the film Marley and Me was shot in Florida. Based on an autobiography, it tells the story of a couple (Jenifer Aniston and Owen Wilson) who adopt a dog from a shelter, which will make them live many adventures. This very touching film broke all records at the American box office during the Christmas period.
Live By Night directed by Ben Affleck in 2017, was shot in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa. It tells the story of Joe Coughlin who, during the prohibition era, rebels against his police officer father and becomes a formidable criminal.
The Florida Project (2014) directed by Sean Baker, tells the story of a young mother, in a precarious situation, who goes to live for a while in a motel in the suburbs of Orlando, not far from Disney World, with her three children, who do as they please while she tries to solve the family's financial problems. The motel manager, played by Willem Dafoe, takes a liking to the mother and her children and tries to help them. For his role in this film, the actor was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2018 Academy Awards.
Miami Vice
The police series Miami Vice is one of the most emblematic of the 1980s and 1990s. It is a reference as much for its image as for its creator and showrunner, Michael Mann, as for its synthpop music signed by Jan Hammer, its credits, its atmosphere, its luxury cars and fast boats, not to mention its costumes. The series even influences the fashion in the United States, t-shirts, Armani jacket and pastel colors. We can already feel the formal work of the director who will later illustrate himself with big screen masterpieces such as Thief (which inspired the cult Drive) or Heat (1994). Many contemplative shots and atmospheric music, urban and maritime landscapes. His style is rare for action films and series. With Miami Vice, Mann elaborates an atmosphere declined over five seasons. Many long shots are shot in the Art Deco district of Miami Beach.
In 2005, he directed the film adaptation of the series, with Jamie Fox and Collin Farrell as Ricardo and Sonny, accompanied by the Chinese star Gong Li. The two companions must infiltrate a dangerous mission in one of the most violent cartels in Latin America.
Two contemporary series
The plot of the series Dexter takes place in Miami. Dexter Morgan, an expert in forensic medicine and working with the Miami police by day, finds himself a serial killer by night. A contemporary Jekyll & Hyde. Leading a double life, Dexter is forced to hide his true self from his colleagues and family, working in the shadows to kill murderers about to slip through the cracks of the justice system. This series with an original theme has quickly gained a large number of fans for its dark and offbeat side where we fall in love with this killer like no other. For lovers of the series, it is possible to recognize some mythical places where the action takes place: walk around the port of Miami where Dexter used to go out with his boat or in North Beach near Bal Harbour where his apartment is located.
Bloodline (2015-2017), produced by Netflix, puts the spotlight on the Keys where the series is entirely shot, allowing to discover paradisiacal landscapes while being captivated by a thrilling plot: the Rayburn family leads a peaceful life in Islamorada, where the parents take care of a beautiful boutique hotel. But when Danny returns after many years of absence, everything slowly changes. The first two seasons are breathtakingly suspenseful. The third, released in 2017, is much less so..
