Miller's Crossing

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Jon Polito, J.E. Freeman, Mike Starr, Steve Buscemi, Michael Jeter, Danny Aiello III, Sam Raimi (cameo), Frances McDormand (uncredited)
Directed by: Joel Coen
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
1990

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The advisor (Gabriel Byrne) to a crime boss (Albert Finney) makes a desperate attempt to play both sides after he confesses to an affair with the boss' girl (Marcia Gay Harden).

Review:

Tim: I liked the Coens' Miller's Crossing, but I can't claim to have loved it. That perplexed me a bit, because all the elements of a very good movie were here- we have a great cast, a twisting story about Prohibition-era crime bosses, people who jump sides and change allegiances, and a whole lot more. This is exactly the kind of film I would expect to love. In fact, I did enjoy the experience. This is undoubtedly a good movie. And yet, something feels missing. It helps some to have seen most of the Coens' later works, which were more well-rounded, complete films. This movie feels like an incomplete a film- a good (but early) attempt by directors who have incredible talent.

Let's look at some of what I liked about Miller's Crossing. The Coens are really good at writing dramatic, powerful movies with interesting characters. A great deal of effort went into the script here. First off, it's always fun seeing these Prohibition-era crime movies. Secondly, this movie gives a very interesting behind-the-scenes look at high level crime in the 1930s. I do have to admit that I questioned how much of this was realistic. In the film, we see crime bosses basically controlling the mayor of the city, the police chief, most of the police, and other high-ranking officials. I don't doubt that some of this took place, but I wonder if it really existed to this extent. That felt a little forced to me. Still, I loved getting thrown right into the middle of this action.

Our protagonist is played very well by Gabriel Byrne. I can't explain why, but I have always, always liked Byrne. His performance in The Usual Suspects won me over for life, but even before that, I've just always been impressed with him. He effortlessly wins me over with his work, and he did that here. He was very good. Now, I can't say that I truly loved his character. I appreciate the Coens' giving us a complex, dark, realistic human being, but I wish I could have cared more about Byrne's character. He is just not someone I could root for. That means that I did not have any real emotional connection throughout the entire film. I was certainly interested in what I watched on screen, but I had zero emotional investment. That is a huge flaw of the movie. I'm not suggesting that Byrne's character needed to be a stand-up guy, but I needed more of a reason to care about his story. More experienced screenwriters would have solved that issue.

In addition to Byrne, we do have a pretty good cast. I really liked Albert Finney as the main crime boss. He gives a strong, impressive performance. I was immediately interested in his character, but I was also somewhat afraid of him. That is due to Finney's impressive work. I have to say that the scenes where he's attacked in his bedroom and the subsequent slaughter is one of the highlights of the entire film. It did on occasion feel a bit too far-fetched, but overall, it was masterful direction by Joel Coen. The scene was amazing, and Finney delivered brilliantly during it.

I am typically impressed with Marcia Gay Harden. I thought she was decent here- the hardboiled, tough-as-nails dame who isn't afraid to play dirty. She was good, but I felt like her character was a bit underdeveloped. She doesn't have enough screen time to make an impact, and during much of her screen time, she is just standing there looking mean. It wasn't a terrific role. I really don't like John Turturro at all, but he was mostly strong here. There's only a few scenes where he did his trademark over-acting. I was glad he kept those to a minimum. I loved seeing Steve Buscemi here, but it was basically just a glorified cameo. I do want to highlight J.E. Freeman as The Dane. I don't think Freeman is a particularly strong actor, but he did a very good job here. His comedic timing was pretty strong, and he had some really funny lines. I loved his humorous interactions with Byrne.

Miller's Crossing is a good movie, and an impressive early effort by the Coens. The film tells an interesting, surprising story that will certainly hold your attention. The downside is that the characters never really clicked for me, so I had no real emotional attachment to anyone or anything in this film. I still enjoyed this movie, but it wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, No Country for Old Men