Miller's Crossing (1990)

An early film from the Coen brothers, Miller’s Crossing is set in a 1920s prohibition-era town run by gangsters. Leo (Albert Finney) is the Irish mob boss currently running things with both the chief of police and the mayor in his pocket. Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) is his long time advisor who is building up a large debt. Johnny Casper (Jon Polito), the Italian mob boss rising in power, comes to Leo asking him to kill off Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) due to suspicion of him revealing the fixed fights that Casper sets up. Leo refuses due to the fact that Bernie is the brother of his current girlfriend Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), who is also secretly having an affair with Tom. This results in a war between Casper and Leo. Tom advises Leo to give up Bernie for a peaceful solution to the conflict, but Leo strongly refuses. When in an attempt to convince him further, Tom reveals the affair and then things get complicated.

The story is incredibly well conceived and executed and despite all the hidden agendas and double crossings, it never feels buried under the weight of all the characters and subplots. This is due to Joel Coen’s smart pacing. The film moves along at a steady pace, keeping the plot going in one direction and never stopping. Gabriel Byrne is incredibly good as Tom, a character who is considered, pretty universally, to be a bastard. He is not a killer or a thug, so his best weapon is his mind and his mouth. He talks down to pretty much every character he meets, including those who are more than willing to kill him. The only thing that keeps him alive is his intelligence and ability to see “every angle.” One of the reasons Tom is so interesting as a character is because he brings out the worst in people. He insults them and lies to them and they can’t really do anything to him because he is always right and he knows it. Needless to say, he gets punched in the face a good twenty times or so in this film. The film is dark and reminiscent of old film noir, not only on its cinematic style, but with the protagonist. Tom is a character who barely has a conscience but lives by his own rules and beliefs; very reminiscent of Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) from Pickup on South Street (1953). The acting throughout the entire film is pretty memorable; each actor contributing something to add to film. Albert Finney and Jon Polito in particular are excellent as the rival mob bosses. Jon Polito is just barely under being over the top, and his performance is often humorous and interesting to watch, especially his interactions with Tom.

The film features the Coen brothers’ brand of offbeat humorous situations and some incredible cinematography. There is one scene that really highlights this film and it is one of the scenes that take place at Miller’s Crossing. The scene is when Tom is told to personally execute Bernie for Capser. The long walk out into the woods while Bernie is screaming and crying for him to spare his life is haunting and the conflict in Tom’s face as he debates in his own mind whether or not to go through with it is painful to watch, even though he is trying to hide it. Another stand out feature of the film is its score; the main theme is a beautiful accompaniment that contrasts strongly with the situations and shady characters. Miller’s Crossing is a classic Coen brothers film, and a must see for any fan.