Miami Vice (TV Series) Smuggler's Blues (1985) User Reviews

Smuggler's Blues

[Prismark10 · 8/10 · 18 September 2020]

Directed by Paul Michael Glaser who would go on to make feature films a year later.

There is a cinematic look in this episode and an appearance from Glenn Frey with his song Smuggler's Blues as part of the soundtrack.

Crockett and Tubbs go to Columbia posing as smugglers, an elaborate plan to flush out a police leak. Frey plays a pilot who takes them there and back.

Smuggler's Blues shows how much episodic television moved on to another level because of Miami Vice.

Apart from the songs, there are great visuals, strong action and a tense finale with a character left in extreme danger.

The Glen Fry episode

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 3 April 2017]

The Glen Fry episode. The Smuggler's Blues hit song blends in the same titled episode with many other slick tracks. Drug dealers, are getting ripped off and Sony and Rico have to go deep cover to find out who, how, and Why? Great story line which keeps the viewer glued with the danger of the mission. The Glen Fry character with the many other dirty gritty characters create sub-stories which develop depth for the episode. Gritty, and artistic Colombian locations and people makes Smuggler's Blues memorable. I will not give away the ending, but Smuggler's Blues does not disappoint. I can see why Miami Vice became part of 80's culture with Smuggler's Blues. 7 out of 10 stars.

Dirty drug deals! Early memorable episode with Glenn Frey

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 13 November 2021]

This "Miami Vice" episode from season 1 number 15 which first aired on Feb. 1, 1985 called "Smuggler's Blues" was one memorable and highly action packed drama felt episode. This episode even featured the now late singer Glenn Frey who starred as Jimmy Cole a dirty drug dealing air pilot. Also this episode helped springboard the series with it's "Smuggler's Blue" song which was played during the episode and featured on the "Vice" soundtrack. Anyway Crockett(Don Johnson) and Tubbs(Philip Michael Thomas) go undercover all the way to Colombia to pose as drug smugglers as it's expected that a dirty or crooked cop is on the take and cashing in on the money and drug exchange trade. Then the action of gunfire and car chases is plenty also memorable from this episode is that Det. Trudy(Olivia Brown) has a damsel in distress scene as she is held hostage with a bomb after she's tied up and gagged! Wow so much in one hour really one of the series early best episode and an 80's TV classic.

An excellent first season episode

[DVD_Connoisseur · 10/10 · 2 April 2007]

"Smugglers Blues" was inspired by the song of the same name by one Glenn Frey. In fact, the talented Frey appears in the episode as the guitar playing bush pilot, Jimmy Cole.

This is, not surprisingly, a fan favourite. The episode has a great use of locations and a fast-moving plot, with Crockett and Tubbs journeying to Cartagena in Colombia. Accompanied by Frey's "Smugglers Blues", the tale is entertaining, tense and gripping.

With a kidnapped Trudy in genuine danger, this episode has a nail-biting and memorable finale.

Again, Paul Michael Glaser shows his usual strong directing skills here. Jan Hammer's soundtrack is the icing on this delicious Miami cake.

One of the best stories of the first season - 10 out of 10.

One of the first season's most memorable episodes

[Mr-Fusion · 10/10 · 19 January 2016]

FM radio was honoring Glenn Frey today, playing all manner of Eagles songs; but a local station actually played "Smuggler's Blues". It was great variety, and put me in the mood to watch the episode again. Also, any day that Miami Vice is on the radio is a good one.

Anyhoo, "Smuggler's Blues" has all of the show's hallmarks: an unwinnable war on drugs, shootouts, a secret mission into the Colombian underworld, Trudy strapped to a bomb (Mann totally ripped off this story for the movie). And, almost as cake icing, there's Glenn Frey as a laid-back flyboy. He's there just long enough to make a point, but the impression is left. Even those of us who didn't necessarily like the guy remember this episode for Frey.

And the good news is that it's a great one.

10/10

Who is killing the drug smugglers?

[Tweekums · 10/10 · 21 March 2012]

Like many episodes this one opens with Crockett and Tubbs on surveillance duty; they aren't trying to make any arrests just seeing who is doing what in the hope that it will lead them higher up the criminal food chain. While doing this they witness something strange; a known smuggler drops a large bag into a boat without getting anything in return. They follow him and observe him entering a boat where somebody is clearly tied up; the next moment it explodes! It turns out that somebody is targeting drug smugglers and their families. The DEA suspect that the killer is somebody within the law enforcement community but have no idea which branch. Crockett and Tubbs go undercover to make a drugs deal in Columbia while Trudy stays in Miami pretending to be Tubbs' wife. The trip to Columbia isn't as smooth as planned but they get back okay with the drugs only to hear that Trudy has been kidnapped. They find her in a caravan that has been wired to explode; they will have to free her before the killer detonates the bomb and they know he will do that if he isn't paid on time or when he discovers she has been found after getting the money.

This was another thrilling episode with plenty of action and excitement including two spectacular explosions, a shootout as they leave Colombia and some very tense moments while the bomb disposal expert tries to free Trudy. Most episodes of Miami Vice seem to have some light hearted moments but this one is serious from start to finish and is none the worse for that. While the story of criminals being murdered by a cop is reminiscent of Clint Eastwood's 'Magnum Force' the motivation is different and here the concentration is on the set up rather than any confrontation; indeed the ultimate showdown between Tubbs and the killer is very brief. If you enjoy Miami Vice I'm sure you will love this episode.

Vice at its best

[bfmelton · 10/10 · 6 July 2021]

The plot of "Smuggler's Blues is either well-known to the reader, having been written of in many other places, or else shouldn't be spoiled, so I won't cover it again here. Instead I'll just critique it-and the critique is that it's one terrific episode.

A fair amount of humor found its way into the first couple of seasons of Miami Vice-for instance, the scene in "Brother's Keeper" in which the lights go out in the courtroom, or many of the scenes involving Elvis-but there's none to be found in this iconic first-season episode. It's as cool as a polar bear on ice skates and gritty without being nihilistic, as many of the later episodes are. The tropical vibe is in full force, thanks in part to the trip to Cartagena (shooting location stand-in was actually San Juan).

Some of the typical Vice ingredients are downplayed or entirely absent here. There's very little glitz and glitter and conspicuous consumption, aside from Crockett's and Tubbs's wardrobe and a gorgeous '60s vintage Mustang convertible seen briefly in their getaway from Cartagena. There's no sex (aside from a shot or two of Trudy's thigh), and in fact practically no women. Trudy's role is brief and essentially passive, and Gina has only a few seconds of screen time and one or two very short lines of dialogue. Despite this, the episode is pure Vice, focusing entirely on the "shady characters" and "dirty deals" that underlie all the usual glitz. Crockett and Tubbs, not distracted this go-round by the party-and-sex scene, are all business here, edgy and dangerous, a fact underscored by the great blocking, camera work, and scoring.

Speaking of scoring: Glenn Frey's iconic song was written before Miami Vice and in fact inspired the episode. Michael Mann heard the song on the radio and had Miguel Piñero (aka notorious first season drug dealer Esteban Calderone) write the episode around it. (Piñero wrote very little else for Vice, and one can only wish that he'd done a lot more.) Nevertheless, the song worked so well as an inspiration that it could have been made with the series in mind, and the producers wrung every advantage out of it in this episode. Frey, in his debut acting appearance, fits the Vice vibe perfectly and would have been a great regular addition to the series.

In short, the episode is pure dynamite. As Miami Vice goes, it doesn't get any better than this.

Fast moving and entertaining- and great music!

[kitteninbritches · 10/10 · 5 May 2021]

There isn't a wasted minute in this excellent episode and Glenn Frey, together with his "Smugglers Blues" sound track helps to push the action along nicely! Suspenseful, exciting and with some amusing dialogue.."you might want to put your parachutes on.." "why?".."we're about to leave the ground" as they take off in his ramshackle plane- this is one of the best episodes in the whole series. Eminently rewatchable! A shame Frey couldn't reprise his role at a later date, but I think ill health prevented it.