Miller's Crossing (1990)

Its artificial setting, tongue-in-cheek villains make this a a triumph of gangster film caricature and self-conscious with it. Love is blind, and the seeming transfer of racketeering power in its bosses and underlings shifts as a result within a labyrinthine plot. The set design is beautiful, the lighting is brilliant, and the music pervades so memorably and powerfully. The downside is that the plot is a bit mechanical and characters are not engaging on an emotional level, though it has to be said this is a film to be marvelled for its artifice.

Gabriel Byrne plays Irish gangster Tom Reagan, right hand man to crime boss Leo (Albert Finney). When trouble stirs between Jewish and Italian mobsters, Reagan uses his position of trust to manipulate those around him.I love gangster movies and Miller's Crossing, by the Coen Brothers, delivers much of what I find so entrancing about the genre: strong characters, wonderful period detail, explosive violence and a cool film noir/neo noir style. But for some reason—and I haven't quite put my finger on it yet—the film didn't grip me as much as I had expected, certainly not in the way that The Godfather or Once Upon A TIme in America did.It might be that I didn't quite swallow how effortlessly Reagan exploited every situation when, in reality, he would have been rumbled and 'taken care of'. It could be that the performances were a little too cartoonish for my liking, the gangsters almost a parody of those seen in other films. Or it could be that, underneath all of the great cinematography and stylish touches, there really isn't that much of a story to be told.6 out of 10. Worth seeing for Albert Finney toting a tommy gun and for Sam Raimi being riddled with machine gun fire.

This is a rich, tightly-woven gangster story about two warring mobs struggling for control of an American city during the prohibition era. It took me more than one viewing to approach understanding the mob lingo, character relationships, and story line of this movie, but it was well worth the work!! The movie is populated by men who are constantly trying to double cross each other in order to win (or gain) favor with one of the two warring mob bosses: the Italian, Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito), and the Irishman, Leo (Albert Finney). Only Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) and his sister, Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), seem to lie clearly outside the lines of either mob--and present a thorn in the sides of both. The principal anti-hero of the movie is Leo's lieutenant, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne). Tom hates the way Leo is used by Verna (a hooker) to 'buy protection' for her brother. Tom keeps telling Leo that both Verna and Bernie are just grifters out for themselves. Tom is the real renegade of the movie who knows how to play both sides against the middle in hit after hit. He doesn't like being used or seeing his friends—if he has any--being used either. Tom has his own problems with gambling debts but is independent enough to refuse help from either boss in order to win him over to their side. Of all the Coen brothers movies, this one seems to have the most plot twists, which surprise and shock the viewer at every turn.

The story gets pretty complex, as this is from the Coen Brothers. It focuses Tom, a cold and smart-aleck lieutenant who works under an Irish Mob Boss, Leo. Things get ugly when Leo gets into a disagreement with an Italian under-boss who feels that he is getting a raw deal. Things also get more complicated when Tom falls in love with Leo's woman. Sooner or later Tom's going to have to decide who's side he's on and who his enemies really are. All of this leads to an uncontrollable scenario with the signature Coen twists and surprises. The acting is also superb. Gabriel Byrne is fantastic as the cold and heartless Tom, who always has something smart or sarcastic to say. There is no way I could see anybody else playing the role. It suits him that well. Turturro has some of the best moments. First when he begs for his life, and then when he cynically tries to quote his begging to save himself again. One of his better roles, I think. Everybody else in it is also terrific.A few brief words about some of the other elements of production. Barry Sonnenfeld's sure-footed photography, as always, is smooth and steady where appropriate, and frenetic where necessary. The set design and costuming make for such an astonishing illusion that were this not a color film, you might actually forget that it was released 9 and not 69 years ago. And even the sound from the music (diegetic and otherwise) to the crystal-clear sound effects that pierce the visual and draw you in by the ears, like they're supposed to is a presence in its own right throughout the film. I mean, when was the last time ice cubes dropping into an old-fashioned glass or the wringing out of an alcohol-soaked rag into a tinny dish felt truly woven into the designed effect of a scene in a movie? Overall rating: 9 out of 10.