ABSENCE OF MALICE

Original release date (USA): 12/18/1981

The movie starts out inside a newspaper office. The Miami Standard. It was actually filmed inside the Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza in Miami.

It cuts from the Herald to the Dade County Courthouse. Here we see Megan (Sally Field) walking into the south side of the courthouse. In the background you can see construction going on. This appears to be the Metrorail station on the west side of the courthouse. The movie Bad Boys starts under this metrorail line.

Then we see her inside the courthouse. Several sources have reported that this was filmed on location inside the Dade County Courthouse. I will have to go there and suss out the exact location to verify but more than one source reports this as the filming location.

While she is there, Elliot Rosen who runs the strike force is holding a meeting and viewing an old mob surveillance tape. Location unknown but likely inside the Dade County Courthouse.

The meeting breaks up and Megan is seen headed into the elevator. Location unknown, likely inside the courthouse. If you recognize this location or any other “unknown” location please let me know at cglide@floridamovielocations.org

Then we return to the Miami Herald Building where Megan goes to work looking up information on Gallagher.

Next we see her head out for dinner. She goes to Bayside before it was Bayside and before Crockett had “his” boats tied up there in Miami Vice. She is seen walking into Reflections on the Bay.

She goes inside to the bar. The exterior is Reflections on the Bay but I do not recognize the interior. Location unknown.

Then we return to the Miami Herald.

Megan goes to see Rosen who is in reality putting her together. This was filmed in the same building as the scene that is suppose to be the interior of the Dade County Courthouse. Location unsure.

After being put together herself she returns to the Miami Herald and puts together a very irresponsible story about Michael Gallagher.

Then we see a brief shot of a bridge/causeway over water. This is the bridge to Brickell Key (SE 8th Street). Shot looking southeast from the rear parking lot of what is now the Suntrust building.

Then a quiet neighborhood. Location unknown. I suspect it is located in Coral Gables.

Then we go to San Ignacio’s School for Girls in Coral Gables. This is on Nervia Street at San Ignacio Ave.

It appears the bathroom scene was filmed inside the school but I will have to go there to verify that.

Then we return to the newspaper office where Gallagher arrives.

Next we cut to the D.A.’S office. This was filmed inside the Dade County Courthouse.

Then to the port of Miami to Gallagher’s warehouse. For some time I assumed this was located somewhere on Dodge Island but could not precisely place it. While taking a look at Smokey and the Bandit 2 which used the same location, I realized that this was Terminal Island on the MacArthur Causeway and not Dodge Island.

Then we go to Gallagher’s home. Fortunately as he arrives he drives by the street signs on the corner. Hardie and Braganza , Coral Gables.

Then it cuts briefly to Gallagher Imports at the Port of

Miami then to the Miami Herald as Megan calls Michael.

This leads to lunch. Gallagher picks Megan up on Brickell Ave. Outside the Suntrust building. In the two screen captures below we can see a dark glass building on the corner. This is 800 Brickell made famous in the Miami Vice episode, The Great McCarthy.

Megan’s photographer and back up is standing just a few feet away in front of the same building.

Megan gets into Michael’s car and they head north on Brickell Ave. toward downtown. This area has grown so much it is hardly recognizable.

It cuts to the interior of the car and it appears they are driving on Virginia Key.

It cuts again and they appear to be on Brickell Ave. south of where she was picked up. Exact location unsure.

In the next cut they arrive at Michael’s Marina. I should call it Tony Rome’s (Frank Sinatra) marina since it was used as his marina years earlier in both Tony Rome and Lady In Cement. Burn Notice also used this marina in episode 19, Rough Seas. Crandon Park Marina, Key Biscayne.

They head out onto Biscayne Bay where Michael easily gets the better of her.

While they are out on the bay, the photographer has gone to the police. We see him by a helicopter talking to the police. This was filmed on Watson Island.

The police helicopter arrives in the bay and checks on Megan’s well being. That ends the lunch. Michael drops her off back at the marina and she returns to the Miami Standard (Herald) office.

Then we see a fly by of the Miami Bay front including a nice shot of the area around Reflections on the Bay.

Then we head back to Gallagher’s Wholesale Liquor. Here the Union is pulling the laborers out in an attempt to shut Gallagher down.

Gallagher decides to go on the offense. We cut to the exterior of a bar, The Pen and Pencil. Location unknown.

Then we go inside. Location unknown. If you recognize any of the unknown locations please let me know at cglide@floridamovielocations.org

Michael invites Megan to dinner. We first see the exterior of a place called Caramba’s. Then we go inside. This was filmed at 1559 Sunset Drive in Coral Gables. The place is now called The Beverly Hills Cafe.

As they leave Michael notices they are being watched by two men in a car across the way on SW 56th Ave.

Next we see Michael driving Megan back to her car. Only the filming has jumped from Coral Gables to Miami just north of downtown. The camera was positioned in front of 3050 Biscayne Blvd. As they drive by headed north bound the camera pans as they pass. We first see 3000 Biscayne Blvd. and then 3050 Biscayne as well as the well lit top of The National Bank Of Florida.

Then we see Michael drop Megan off at the Pen and Pencil. Location unknown.

Then we see Michael driving south on Biscayne Blvd. near NE 10th Street. He stops and confronts the two gangsters that have been following him. We see the Gulf station that was across from the Miami Grand Prix and as Michael heads back to his car we see both the Freedom tower (barely visible against the night sky) and the famous Copper tone sign at 530 Biscayne Blvd. The Gulf station is now a BP station. When Miami Vice filmed for the episode Florence Italy in January of 1986 it was still a Gulf station as seen in the screen capture below.