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Miller's Crossing

Miller's Crossing

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Coen's finest.
Review: This is Ethan and Joel's best work ever. They have done a gangster movie in fantastic style.

Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden and Coen-favorite John Turturro are simply excellent. This movie is gritty and dark and wonderful. Get it now!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ANOTHER WINNER BY THE COEN BROTHERS...
Review: This is a different kind of gangster flick. It is an intelligent foray into the world of the roaring twenties and the corruption and speakeasies engendered by Prohibition. This money making turf is zealously guarded by rival crime bosses: Leo, masterfully played by Albert Finney, and Johnny Caspar, well played by Jon Polito.

Tom Reagan, beautiful played by the darkly smoldering Gabriel Byrne, is Leo's main man. Unfortunately for him, he is feeling the noose around his neck tighten, as he owes some big gambling debts that he is unable to pay. Moreover, he is head over heels in love with Verna, played with hard edged, sexual intensity by Marcia Gay Harden, who just happens to be Leo's main squeeze. Moreover, Verna's bookmaker brother, Bernie Bernbaum, played with smarmy abandon by John Turturro, has a contract on his life and is on the run. When Tom finds himself helping Bernie, he soon discovers that no good deed goes unpunished. All this makes life very complicated and difficult for Tom.

At times, it is difficult to ascertain who the good guys and the bad guys really are, or for whom they really work, as they all seem to march to the beat of a different drummer. There is more to what is going on than initially meets the eye. Make no mistake, this is a multi-faceted movie that works well on many levels. As with all Coen brothers' films, there is an underlay of sly humor that permeates the film.

The dialogue is sharp and evocative of another time, as it is laden with Prohibition era slang, and its stacatto delivery is most effective. The characters all walk the walk and talk the talk. The performances by the entire cast are stellar. Look for Steve Buscemi in the small role of Mink, and do not blink or you will miss Frances McDormand's performance as Johnny Caspar's secretary. All in all, this is an excellent film and another feather in the collective cap of the Coen brothers.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: watch it again and again and again
Review: I'm a Coen Brothers fan. While Fargo and O' Brother tend to garner the most acclaim, I firmly believe this is their finest film. The characters are developed slowly and consistently, yet the scenes are short and witty. The dialogue is somewhat film noir, and may sound a bit corny at first. But you soon realize that this is a period piece and the jargon is true to the Roaring Twenties.

I didn't find the plot complex. It is intelligent and unpredictable. Each time I watch it, I catch a new
connecting detail. The Irish music adds a wonderful flavor, and the entire film has a romantic feel reminiscent of the Sicilian scenes in Godfather II. The more I watch it, the more I like it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "joi de vivre"
Review: You won't see a movie next year or the next that will beat this one. Miller's Crossing doesn't contain a bad frame of photography, a poor word of dialogue, or a momentary slack in the level of acting. Plus, it's full of absolutely classic gangster-movie moments. The intricacy of the plot will be only one of the reasons you'll want to see it multiple times. It's eye candy, ear candy, brain candy.

Gabriel Byrne shines as the Christ figure Tom Reagan (everyone exclaims "Jesus, Tom" to him throughout the movie), who sacrifices himself, his girlfriend, his career, and his friendships to "put things right" for Leo. Albert Finney is amazing as Leo, the fading Irish Prohibition-era mob boss who's going soft but still can rise to the fire of his younger days ("the old man is still an artist with the Thompson"). John Turturro (as usual) turns in a brilliant acting job playing the "shmatte kid" Bernie Birnbaum. J. E. Freeman (the Dane) will make you wet your pants when he approaches with a long-barreled pistole. Marcia Gay Harden smokes the screen and discombobulates Tom's heart as the sultry Verna. And Joe Polito is hilarious as the greaseball Johnny Casper (Giovanni Gasparo) who carries out murdeous plots while dim-wittedly trying to analyze the "ethics" of each situation.

Don't miss it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Little Unknown Gangster Movie
Review: Miller's Crossing is often overlooked for two different reasons. One is because it was directed and produced by the Cohen brothers before they were THE Cohen brothers. Also, Miller's Crossing was definitly overshadowed by the Scorsese mobster epic, Goodfellas, which was released at the same time. However, Miller's Crossing is a very effective, if somewhat scattered movie.

Miller's Crossing centers around Chicago gangster life during the prohibition era. It's not a hard core gangster film per se, as it includes many satirical and light hearted observations of Mafia life. Given that, the movie does portray a dark and violent side of organized crime. Double cross is the name of the game and money is the fuel that engines the traitorous machine. The liquor funded Mafia has infiltrated every aspect of city life, thouroughly corrupting the city government. It was a good time to be a gangster.

The story is very good but EXTREMELY complex. Do not watch this movie if you cannot devote total attention to it. If you miss certain exchanges or happenings you can be lost for the rest of the movie. The politics and strategy are extremely Byzantine and murky. However, if you manage to follow it, the payoff is very exciting. The story, by the end, is well crafted and engaging.

Giving two great performances are Gabriel Byrne and John Turturro. Turturro especially plays a great and sobering job as a small time crook down on his luck. Byrne is his usual dark calm self, which fits the aura and mood of his diabolically clever character.

Enjoy this movie, but pay attention.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: eh eh
Review: Gabriel Byrne had this really strong Irish accent, but it would come and go every few minutes. He would go from that to a regular American speaking voice. Weird.
The movie had it's moments, but, it was pretty boring, all in all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Keep your hat on!
Review: This movie is the anti-gangster film of gangster films. The story unfolds as you watch the main character Tom flow from scene to scene drinking his scotch and throwing his delicate scarcastic lines to people who could kill him under their breath. You are slowly sucked in by the lifestyle and soon, no matter how moral you think are, you wish you were Tom.

This film lets you inside the story of how the prohibition really worked...lies, corruption, loyalty, and most of all greed.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: My least favorite Coen Bros. film
Review: I am a huge Coen brothers fan, having seen all of their films with the exception of Blood Simple. From Raising Arizona to the Man Who Wasn't There, I celebrated their entire catalog, until I saw Miller's Crossing.

Miller's Crossing, like Fargo and Barton Fink, is dark cinema. It has a crisp style and authentic 40's gangster film look. However the storyline is nothing special, in fact, it's more confusing than most film noir. There are so many double crossings, triple crossings, even quadruple crossings, and red herrings that you spend all your energy keeping tabs on the characters. A little mystery and a few twists can be interesting, but this is overkill. And it's not the kind of movie that makes you want to watch it again. No matter how fantastic the physical aspects of the film are, it doesn't compensate for an unengaging plot.

Before watching Miller's Crossing I would watch any other Coen brothers film first. If you want a good gangster film, stick with Godfather 1 & 2, Goodfellas or Pulp Fiction.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: what's the rumpus?
Review: This is a beautiful, carefully constructed film with the Coen Brothers' usual style and flair. Probably their most underrated film, it's got a blend of comedy and drama as skilled and subtle as Fargo, and a sneaky, intelligent plot. Oh yeah - plus drop-dead gorgeous cinamatography and heartbreaking, sharply drawn characters. See it and make all your friends watch it, and then maybe one day we'll be able to get it on DVD . . .

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The greatest gangster Type Movie I've Ever Seen
Review: I have Seen Alot Of Gangster Movies And This One I Think Is The Best because It Has Dialog Unlike Most ganster movies The Good And Bad guys just shoot each other but with this one there is a plot to it. And I Really Liked The Music ,So Much That I Bought The Soundtrack Which I Recomend.Well That's About All. But Again It's Probably the Best Gangster Movie I Have Ever Seen To This Day.


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