Undercover Blues - Ein absolut cooles Trio

I did not expect much when I decided to watch this, but in point of fact its a very funny and clever movie with a lot going for it. Quaid and Turner have some real chemistry. This is easily Turner's best movie in the last eight years but that's not saying much I guess. Dennis Quaid's easy-going manner and joyful grin are perfect for the part.

Stanley Tucci is a riot as "Muerte", a bumbling wanna-be gangster who appears to have seen Al Pacino's "Scarface" once too many times. In many ways, its Tucci's movie and he makes the most of it.

Fiona Shaw is also appropriately over the top as a woman/criminal with a crush on Quaid, and there are other familiar faces in the case too.

All in all, a welcome surprise.

One of the better movies of 1993. It was funny, brilliant and full of intrigue.

I liked Dennis Quaid as Jeff Blue. He was full of wisecracks and that smile he gave you told you that he was up to something and/or was only telling you half-truths.

Jeff's wife, Jane, played by Kathleen Turner, was more of the "straight person" to Jeff, but at times, she could she could be funny and tough as well.

Larry Miller as Detective Sgt Halsey was hilarious. Although his accent was horrible (maybe it was intended that way), I liked him as the dopey detective.

Stanley Tucci as "Muerte" or "Morty" as the Blues refer to him as, was the best. He plays a robber in New Orleans and he meets the couple he tries and tries again to rob; The Blues. Every time he tries, he fails and that high pitch scream Muerte/Morty screams when something bad is going to happen to him is hilarious. It no longer becomes a job for Muerte, but a challenge. About the only thing he could "steal" from the Blues was the entire movie. He had me laughing non-stop every time he appeared.

My favorite parts in the movie:

Muerte: "I am Muerte"

Jeff Blue: "Oh hi Morty!!!"

Muerte: "Muerte!!! Muerte!!! no Morty!!! Muerte!!!!"

And when Jeff Blue meets with Paulina Novacek (Fiona Shaw), her gang has "Muerte", thinking he is one of Jeff's "confederates", He (Jeff) plays off it, saying that Muerte is the big guy and refers to him as "The Big 'M'" and "Muerte". Suddenly, Muerte to save his butt, keeps screaming, "I'm Morty!!! Morty!!!".

Stanley Tucci is priceless in this movie.

This is not Great Cinema, and it's not supposed to be. It's "I've had a bad day and don't want to think too hard" lighthearted fun. Not only are Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner great as Jeff and Jane Blue, but the supporting cast of Stanley Tucci ("that's 'MUERTE', as in 'DEATH'), Fiona Shaw (now perfect as Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia Dursley), Obba Babatunde and Larry Miller as the outclassed detectives, and Tom Arnold and Park Overall as the "normal" couple for balance make the whole cast shine. Park your brain, relax, enjoy, and remember, even GWTW is NOT "GWTW".

A word to those out there who view cinema as either High Art (CAPITALS clearly audible and firmly enunciated) or that it must have Meaning (ditto): This is not your movie, nor was it made with you as its audience. It is light, funny and meant to entertain. It does this fairly well. You may not like this, but, then, you don't have to. Last time I looked, films as art or with meaning exist. Watch them-I do. I also watch movies as well as films. Having both is not a mutually-exclusive proposition. The Bicycle Thief and Rashomon will not spontaneously combust because this film exists-or vice versa. End of sermon.

Dennis Quaid is funny, Kathleen Turner is a scream, the supporting cast is great (the two detectives, Larry Miller and Obba Babatunde are a riot), but Stanley Tucci, as Muerte, steals the movie. I don't care if the plot has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese! Park your brain at the door and just enjoy. So it's not GWTW. That's okay-we already have one of those. Highly recommended.

My husband and I were walking along the sidewalk in the New Orleans French Quarter in the summer of 1992, when he turned and looked at a woman walking alongside us in the street and said, "Oh, my god, that's Kathleen Turner." I was just getting ready to tell him I was sure it wasn't when I looked across the street toward a courtyard, and just about fainted. "Oh my god, It's Dennis Quaid!" We stopped for a minute and watched the two of them walk toward each other, and realized they were taking a break in the middle of filming a movie scene. We were on our way somewhere at the time so we didn't stay to watch, but we decided we'd have to find out what movie they were filming and make it a point to go see it. That's how we ended up seeing Undercover Blues the week it was released in 1993.

The sign that a movie's a good comedy is when you remember the plot's running gag, and it still makes you laugh years later.

I was explaining the Latin root "mort-" to my teenage daughter last night, and that reminded me of Muerte/Morty. I started laughing just thinking about Stanley Tucci's brilliant comedic turn in this role. I called to my husband and asked him if he remembered Muerte/Morty, and he said, "Sure, Stanley Tucci!" And then he started to laugh, too. It's pretty much automatic that any time I hear a word that starts with "mort," I think of Muerrrrrrrrrte!" If you haven't seen this movie, do. It's smart, funny, and at times it'll have you laughing so hard you hurt. And I guarantee you'll never hear a "mort-" word again without fondly remembering Stanley Tucci as Muerte, and his alter ego Morty.