What is Magic City About?

Imagine Miami Beach on New Year’s Eve, 1958. Ike Evans celebrates at his luxurious Miramar Playa Hotel. It’s a tumultuous time in Miami and abroad as racial and religious segregation are at their pinnacle in the U.S., while 90 miles away in Cuba, Castro’s rebels are closing in on Havana. Regardless, Miami is still THE place to be and the Miramar Playa is its coveted epicenter. The Kennedys, the mob and the CIA all hold court here and Ike, the man with the dream, is the star. But everything comes at a price.

The “Magic City” story continues into the new year of 1959 as Ike Evans (Morgan) conjures ways to finance his dream. He has essentially sold his soul to the devil, mob boss Ben “The Butcher” Diamond (Huston). Ike’s wife Vera (Kurylenko), a former showgirl, and his three children think he is an honorable man, but he just can’t break his pact with the most dangerous criminal in town. His life is a façade.

In fact, nothing at the Miramar Playa is what it seems. By day, it’s diving clowns and cha-cha lessons. By night, escorts have secret liaisons with husbands in the cabanas, while Miami’s seedier residents and the law drift together to hear legendary singers, musicians and comics. As Ike’s world threatens to implode, he fights for his family and the Miramar Playa, in the Magic City.

Cast:

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olga Kurylenko, Danny Huston, Steven Strait, Christian Cooke, Jessica Marais, Yul Vazquez, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Kelly Lynch, Elle Satine.