Synopsis

Set in a stylized 1930s nightclub, the "Smooth Criminal" short film follows Michael Jackson as he enters an apparently abandoned club and brings its silent world back to life. Surrounded by sharply dressed patrons and dancers, he leads an intricate performance built around precision footwork, sudden freezes, and theatrical gestures. The sequence forms the centerpiece of *Moonwalker*, where Jackson and three children become involved in a larger battle against the villainous Mr. Big. Its combination of gangster-film atmosphere, musical-theater staging, and supernatural dance made it one of Jackson's defining screen performances.

Factoids & Trivia

• The short film is the centerpiece of the 1988 anthology movie *Moonwalker*. In the film's story, Jackson and three children oppose Mr. Big, a drug lord whose plan involves getting children addicted to drugs.

• The nightclub setting, white fedora, tailored suit, and choreographic style draw heavily from classic Hollywood musicals and gangster films. Jackson's official description of the video specifically cites Fred Astaire's "Girl Hunt Ballet" from *The Band Wagon* as an inspiration.

• The famous forward lean was achieved on film with support wires. Jackson later worked with costume designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins on a patented shoe-and-stage system that allowed him to reproduce a similar illusion during live performances. The patent was filed in 1992 and granted in 1993.

• The choreography combines Jackson's own movement vocabulary with contributions from Vincent Paterson and Jeffrey Daniel. The routine mixes theatrical ensemble dancing with street-dance influences, making the dancers look less like a conventional backup group and more like a synchronized nightclub gang.

• "Smooth Criminal" earned the 1989 BRIT Award for British Video of the Year, despite Jackson being an American artist. It also received three MTV Video Music Award nominations: Best Dance Video, Best Choreography, and Best Cinematography.

• The video helped turn the "anti-gravity lean" into one of the most recognizable dance images in pop culture. Its visual impact was strong enough that the move became associated with Jackson even after the mechanical method behind the live version became known.