Miller's Crossing (1990)

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Directed by Joel Coen.

Starring Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, John Turturro.

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Joel and Ethan Coen's third collaboration, the gangster film Miller's Crossing, stars Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan, the right-hand man of big-city Irish mob boss Leo (Albert Finney). The film opens with Italian mobster Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) and his second in command Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) informing Leo and Tom that they are going to kill bookie Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) because he has been revealing Caspar's fixed fights to other gamblers. Leo informs Caspar that Bernie pays for protection and is not to be touched. After the Italians leave in a huff, Tom informs Leo that he should give up Bernie. Tom and Leo are both involved with Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), Bernie's sister. After a failed hit on Leo starts a full-scale mob war, Tom reveals to Leo the truth about his relationship with Verna. This leads to a falling-out between the pair. Tom goes to work for Caspar, but in truth, he is still loyal to Leo. Tom figures out how to manipulate all of the situations so that Leo survives, but this may cost Tom his relationship with Verna. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Re:No Country For Old Men / ...
by leeroy711 in Filmspotting

loved it.

"I've been hearing people say good things about "The Lookout," and I'm not really sure why. When I went to see it, I was pretty disappointed. I'm trying to remember what it was about the movie I didn't like. I seem to remember the plot moving too slowly for me. Maybe I'm just impatient, and there was something going on that I just didn't get. I dunno.My top Coen Bros. scenes:-The ferret in the bathtub scene from "The Big Lebowski"-The "summer rain" scene from "O Brother"-The first scene with the apocalyptic bounty hunter in "Raising Arizona"-The wood chipper scene in "Fargo" (for some reason I just can't get over the image of Steve Buschemi's foot sticking out of that thing. It gave me awesome shivers.)-The bowling dream sequence from "Lebowski." [/quote] Great list, I also must add a few-The "look into your heart scene" in Millers Crossing. Completely unforgettable.-The car accident in The Man Who Wasn't There.-The John Goodman transformation at ... " [More]

HATS
by Smooth_J in Smooth_J Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I finally got around to seeing Miller's Crossing, and I was actually very surprised. Not about how good it was, but how toned down the typical Cohen's themes were. It was, all in all, a conventional gangster flick. There were the undertones and the symbolism and all that stuff, but none quite as prominent as in their other movies, such as Raising Arizona and Fargo. However, the symbolism of Tom's hat is very prominent, and is referred to pretty often.Gabriel Byrne is very good as the film's anti-hero, Tom. He seems like a sceptical, sarcastic bastard for most of the movie, but he brings a lot of sympathy and humor to the character. The closing scenes are especially well-done by him, and he perfectly embodies everything that the film makes him out to be in those closing 10 or 15 minutes. The rest of the cast is also terrific, especially Albert Finney, who lends the film a veteran presence as the seasoned actor that he is (and was, even in 1990).The story is ve ... " [More]

Classic gangster film
by Amc35JR in Amc35JR Blog

loved it.

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"This is a great gangster film and should be considered a classic for the dialogue alone. Tom Regan, bursting into a room of scantily clothed showgirls, "Close your eyes, ladies, I'm coming through." Tom Regan going back into the bedroom with Myrna after just conversing with his boss and her lover Leo and Myrna asking what him what he told Leo: "I told him you were a tramp and he should dump you." Tom after being informed that Rug Daniels had just been found dead and without his toupee: "Maybe it was Indians". Tom Regan offers a corrupt cop a drink, the cop being there to bust up a rival's gin joint at Leo's behest and the cop doing nothing but leaning up against a car replies: "Not now Tom, I'm on duty." Johnny Caspar asking Leo for permission to kill Bernie, Leo: "So you want to kill him". The Dane: "For starters."Tom: "Intimidating helpless women is part of what I do. Myrna: "Then go ... " [More]

Nothing is what it seems at Mil ...
by Go-Ape in Go-Ape Blog

liked it.

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"Quite oddly for me, there seems to be a large gap in my memory of this film. I remember it, and I very much enjoyed it, but for some reason I can't remember all of what occurs in it. So bear this in mind cause I'm most likely not the best person to listen to in that case. I thought it was a good film, a good old fashioned genre film without all the attempts to alter genre in some way. It just exploited the gangster genre faithfully. I know the word exploited doesn't make the film sound that great but it is actually meant in a god way. Most films today, regardless of thier content and context, will attempt to mix genres and it does work, and works well too. But when you see a proper genre film, with nothing to hide and nothing to change. well, it makes a nice change - I suppose it feels a little bit more like going back to when genre was all-important. I think this is a great film, and the performances are good too. The Coen's regular John Turturro puts in ... " [More]

Re: Directors who have yet to m ...
by Risselada in Directors

loved it.

"First of all, why is working with someone else's material "in their defense"? :)And also, according to IMDB, even though it's based on a novel, they did write the screenplay.It's definitely not the first time they've written a screenplay based on other material.The Ladykillers based off the original british filmIntolerable Cruelty seems to be based off of someone else's story. I know the screenplay was rewritten and floated around for many years.O Brother, Where Art Thou? from Homer's OdysseyThe Big Lebowski is in many ways a retelling of The Big Sleep (a novel first)Miller's Crossing was taken from the novels of Dashiell Hammett most notably The Glass KeySeveral of their other movies are specific homages to certain other movies or styles or eras of movies " [More]

Miller's Crossing
by circuitsnake in circuitsnake Blog

liked it.

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"After seeing the DVD for ten bucks, I remembered how much I liked Miller's Crossing and decided to pick it up and re-watch it. The movie is great, the beauty of the scenes at Miller's Crossing, the characters are just as entertaining to watch as to listen to and the famous execution sequence hold's up beautifully. So, why do I have problems with this film? Don't get me wrong, I think the film is brilliant, I just have some issues with it. For one, I don't feel the score fits the mood of the film, I see what it's meant to do, but I found it awkward when introduced the scene. My second problem is Marcia Gay Harden, who is miscast. She never quite convinces me of the role she is playing and her character disappears around half-way through the film and the manipulation of the femme fatale character that is introduced in the beginning of the film is lost. This being said, Gabriel Byrne holds the film together perfectly with his portrayal of Tommy. " [More]

Miller's Crossing
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog

loved it.

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"Revisited this movie last night, and it is probably my third or fourth viewing. I like a film that has a bit of ambiguity to it, which is probably the biggest contributing factor to its repeat appeal. I love the cinematography and the directorial flair that is evident in so many of the major scenes (the 'Danny Boy' sequence, the execution at Miller's Crossing scene and its revisitation, the violent climax with the death of 'the Dane'), and wonderful performances by Finney and Turturro and especially Jon Polito. It was interesting to me on this viewing to notice all the 'bookend' scenes, the Mob boss visited by the mayor and chief of police (once for Finney and once for Polito), the execution march into the woods (once for Turturro and once for Byrne) neither of which works out as expected), the midnight visits in Byrnes sitting room (Finney and Turturro), the police raids (once for Finney and once for Polito) and probably more that I missed.. and I suppo ... " [More]

Re: Top Neo-Noir
by Risselada in Top 5

loved it.

"1. Fargo, 1996. Definitely Neo-Noir, although doesn't conform to your description in one way. I think Marge is fundamentally through and through "good". Most Coen brothers films have a neo noir feel like their first film Blood Simple. Miller's Crossing and The Man Who Wasn't There are almost classic noir. 2. Reservoir Dogs, 1992. I'd say this counts. I'm surprised you didn't say Pulp Fiction, SkyPilot, as I thought it was your favorite film. Do you not consider that neo-noir? 3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988. Actually very well written, constructed, and played out as a classic detective film noir film. Even set in the right era. It's a clash between this dark gritty noir reality with the zany cartoon reality that emphasises the qualities of each. If each reality were not done right, it wouldn't work. 4. The Singing Detective, 2003. I find this movie so complex and amazing, it is too overwhelming for me to try to describe it. I'll try to say something though. It use ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

For their third feature, Miller's Crossing (1990), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen focused their film-literate gaze on the gangster genre, blending it with the film noir legacy they first explored in Blood Simple (1984). Set during Prohibition, the film evokes 1930s gangster film classics and Dashiell Hammett novels in its portrayal of Irish and Italian gangsters and the conflict touched off between them by a complicated web of betrayals involving a sinister crime boss (Albert Finney), his right-hand man (Gabriel Byrne), and a glib bookie John Turturro. Barry Sonnenfeld's shadowy cinematography lends a somber cast to the events, while set pieces like the forest execution and a chandelier-splintering shoot-out to the strains of "Danny Boy" revel in the Coens' talent for combining violence, drama, and high style. Though a few dissenters viewed Miller's Crossing as all surface and no substance, critics were impressed by the strong cast -- especially Turturro and Finney -- and bravura technique, declaring that the Coens had fully come into their own as filmmakers. The writer's block the Coens reportedly suffered while working on the screenplay became fodder for their next film, Barton Fink (1991). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

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