Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1990: Fred Ward in Miami Blues

Fred Ward did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Sgt. Hoke Moseley in Miami Blues.

Miami Blues is a strong sorta comedic movie about a criminal who pretends to be a cop while romancing a prostitute. Although I can appreciate a unique effort, I didn't really enjoy it. 

Character Fred Ward plays the cop who is kind of after Alec Baldwin’s Frederick J. Frenger Jr. despite being a less than reliable sort himself. I have enjoyed some of Ward’s character actor bits in the past however his rare leading turn from 1990 in Henry & June wasn’t particularly impressive. He probably is more at home here in coming occasionally into the film as the man sort of on Junior’s trail rather than leading the whole film. Ward, in his early scenes, though has the same challenge that Baldwin struggles with here and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Junior’s prostitute eventual girlfriend does more than decently with, which is the film’s off-beat tone. It wants to be funny despite dealing with crime and violence. The problem is it isn’t I didn't find it terribly funny just more of weird and not in a way that I found all that engaging or endearing. Ward’s performance within the film I think is largely fine when we just need him to say a gruff line or two and be generally sloppy as the cop who is far from a professional himself. It’s supposed to be a bit funny I think, Ward’s not overly but he’s not actively unfunny either I guess. Ward comes in and he’s fine as very much being the general ramshackle cop type. I don’t think he makes a memorable impression in truly fashioning something unexpected that makes the tone sing by any means. He becomes slightly more interesting when he directly interacts with Leigh as the Sergeant is trying to learn more. Ward fashions a phony charm as he tries to get more info from her, and he is entirely alright is finding a bit of smarmy charm. I found noting exceptional in Ward’s performance, but he delivers on the basic requirements. Eventually there is a showdown between the cop and the criminal where the Sergeant bests junior. Ward brings a dogged intensity in the scene that is fine in selling that moment even if it doesn’t add up to too much. Then he has a button moment where suddenly the sloppy Sergeant is beaming with confidence after having vanquished his foe particularly compared to the tired over the hill guy we saw before. Ward again presents the switch to the stronger posture and a big smile effectively enough, but still not overly memorable. Ward gives a performance in this film that I thought certainly existed. It isn’t bad, I didn't find it especially remarkable, it’s fine.