Rating: 
Summary: BEST ARGOT-TOTING PANOPLY OF GANGSTERS...DVD RATHER SIMPLE.
Review: Easily Coens' masterpiece...strewn with fascinating argot ("Whats the rumpus?", "Always with the high hat"), breathtaking cliffhangers and plot about-turns, one of the BEST action sequences ever filmed with 'Danny Boy' in the backdrop (at par with the Val Kilmer/De Niro/Pacino cameo in "Heat"), and despite never quite having amassed the epic acclaim of "Godfather", an absolutely exquisite, wholesome treat. Even as a straightlaced gansta flick, it rocks. But beyond that at a deeper level, the movie is an exquisite narrative of more sapient themes such as personal ethics, chance, destiny, and one's command over one's own life -- particulary in the brilliant denouement that happens between Byrne's and Finney's characters. Given the near-classic status this movie enjoys, one would have expected a lot more from a DVD though -- especially after we were made to wait for so long! At the very least, interviews with the Coens or some of the characters were in order. Is "Criterion" listening?
Rating:
Summary: A Reason For Living
Review: I don't often review works on Amazon, but I felt the itch to plug one of my favorite movies now that it has finally been released on DVD. Other reviewers have done a great job of outlining the plot, so I'll keep my comments to just 2 points. First, the casting in this movie is just fantastic: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Albert Finney, Jon Polito... My vote for the best performance in this film, however, would go to J.E. Freeman as "The Dane" - the Grim Reaper couldn't possibly get a better portrayer. The second observation is that Miller's Crossing is not just one of the funniest movies ever ("are you done talkin'... or maybe you still got too many teeth in your head"), but also one of the most heartbreaking. How the Coen Bros. managed to do both is a mystery that I still haven't solved 13 years after I first saw this film in the theater. It's an absolutely indispensible movie.
Rating:
Summary: A handsome movie about men who wear hats
Review: In one of the extras on the Miller's crossing DVD, Barry Sonnenfeld refers to the movie as "A handsome movie about men who wear hats" . This is an excellent summary of the film. This third film by the Coen brothers established their spots as master film makers. After the success of Raising Arizona it would have been an easy move for them to start chruning out comedies left and right. Instead they dove into the Gangster genre where it again would have been simple to trun out some recycled garbage. Instead they transcended a genre and produced a film both majestic in its beauty and poignant in its commentary on the human condition. This film never bores me, no matter hom many times I have seen it. It never condescends to me. It never underestimates me. It makes me laugh, it makes me think, it damn near makes me cry. Even when put up against their later films, Miller's Crossing presents strong argument that it may be the Coen's best.
Rating: 
Summary: Miller's is Here!! No more DVD 'High Hat!'
Review: For those, like myself, who have waited, impatiently, for the DVD release of this film your day has come. The classic Coen Brothers quotable is better than ever. Once again we can bring the characters into our home and discussions, all the while telling the nay sayers to 'dangle'. A film that has reached such cult status for it's plot, casting, cinematography, and dialogue should not be missed. The transfer is wonderful. Clear and crisp images. Great colors and, as expected, a huge upgrade in sound quality. The special features are the only weak point, in my opinion. (There could've been more.) Beggars can't be choosers though and to have such an important film made available to the DVD generation is just what the 'genre' ordered. Great job!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Major "Turkey"..
Review: Don't waste your money on this one; probably the most ridiculous period film I've ever seen. The hero goes through the film absorbing beating after incredible beating(including an impossible number of blows accompanied by hurtling down multiple flights of stairs) but emerges virtually unscathed(save for a split lip) every time. The Italian mobster character is woefully over-played...and on, and on. How anyone could even mention this sorry film in the same review with "Road to Perdition" escapes me. Definitely pass on this one...I'm going to sell my copy.
Rating:
Summary: Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue
Review: I take one star off for the time it took to get this to DVD. Otherwise, one of those movies I can watch over and over again, constantly seeking the little moments, gestures, scraps of dialogue, that I might have missed the first thirty times I watched it. The Coen Brothers have fashioned a truly believable gangster's world where everything is crooked, therefore predictable, therefore - ethical. Gabriel Byrne is wonderfully understated, Albert Finney is almost unrecognizable, Jon Polito's Caspar is pleasantly unpleasant - I can easily go on. The cast is superb, the cinematography is beautiful, the irony laid on thick (Finney killing his would-be assassins to the lilting strains of Danny Boy).Everyone else has mentioned the music, so I will, too - it's great. Highly recommended. A moment from behind the scenes: the plot is so convoluted, the Coen Brothers had trouble figuring out where to go, so they wrote another script about a screenwriter suffering from writer's block - Barton Fink.
Rating:
Summary: Don't give this one the high hat!
Review: If I had to make a list of the top 5 movies of all time, "Miller's Crossing" would make the cut. Breathtaking photography, razor-sharp acting ... and, unquestionably, the piercingly brilliant Coen dialogue. Many fine films fade the more times you see them, but MC only gets more dense and heartbreaking. I'm a harsh critic, I don't say this lightly, but ... I love this film. And it's FINALLY arriving on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Miller's Crossing
Review: The best Coen Film yet made, which puts it among the best ever made. There are more moments of genius in Miller's Crossing than one can count. The "Danny Boy" scene wherein Albert Finney establishes that he is still " . . . an artist with the Thompson" is so effortlessly grand and brutal that it rivals any scene in any film from any era. The Coens have the best collective ear for dialogue and the most economical sense of visual story telling of any filmmakers who ever lived. Simply the best.
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Summary: I'm so excited...
Review: I can't express how excited I am that this movie is finally being released on DVD. Forget about it being one of the best gangster films ever. This is one of the best movies ever. If you like movies, you'll like this movie. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but I'd suggest giving it a try. Some may say it moves slow. Some may say it's confusing. But I'm sure if you're conscious, you can figure it out and enjoy it. I will say that listening closely to dialogue may have never been as important in a movie as in this one. You'll catch a lot if you really pay attention. If you're not in the mood for a movie that makes you use your brain, then watch this on another night. Just watch it, because it's great.
Rating:
Summary: "Godfather"-like stature that stands up to repeated viewings
Review: Many films might aspire to be worthy of the "Godfather" persona. "The Godfather" is memorable for the distinct dialogue and signature moments. The Coen brothers have carefully crafted a period dialect that captures the cartoonish caricatures of a bygone era. I remember this movie came out around the time of the overblown "Dick Tracy". This film deftly pushes the humor without losing the drama, and deserves much more recognition. After all, the Coens labored long and hard to achieve this. This is their "Citizen Kane". And the terrific casting: Early appearances by Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, plus Albert Finney as a mob boss (far from "Tom Jones"). Others in the comic book cast have memorable one-liners. "It ain't elves", "Don't forget to put one in the brain", "I'm just speculatin' on a hypothesis" Watching it again, you catch more nuances in the lyrical dialogue, and are swept along with the beautiful cinematography and soundtrack. A *MUST HAVE* !!
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