Miller's Crossing (1990)

With only their third feature film (following Blood Simple & Raising Arizona), The Coen Brothers (Joel & Ethan) delivered one of the most unique crime dramas of its era...or any era.  This neo-noir takes place during the Prohibition Era in an unidentified American city which is currently enmeshed in an ongoing war between two rival criminal organizations, one lead by Leo (Albert Finney) and the other lead by Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito).  Leo's main advisor and most trusted lieutenant is Tom (Gabriel Byrne) whose fears and machinations are at the core of this story.  And through Tom, we get to encounter a variety of colorful characters including Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), The Dane (JE Freeman), Bernie (John Turturro), Mink (Steve Buscemi) and so many others who are each on one side of this burgeoning conflict.  However the story is not what stands out most about this enduring cult classic....it's the inventive camerawork, bravura performances, gorgeous production design, and endlessly quotable dialogue!  So just in time for St. Patrick's Day, let's find out exactly what the rumpus is....  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

MILLER’S CROSSING – 1990

Directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen…sort of

Starring Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Albert Finney, John Turturro, Jon Polito, JE Freeman, Mike Starr, Al Mancini, Richard Woods, Tom Toner, Mario Todisco, Olek Krupa, Tom Toner, and Steve Buscemi

Genre: Neo-Noir Crime Drama

Definitely one of the most unique crime dramas of the '90's - or any era - the Coen Brothers wrote/directed a neo-noir which is SO hyper-stylized that it feels at times like a parody of mob movies. 🙂 None of the performances are remotely subtle, so much of the dialogue borders on Prohibition Era cliche ("What's the rumpus....take your funky and dangle...let's get stinko"), there are enough trick camera angles to make even Brian DePalma blush, and most of the characters are so hard-boiled to the point where few of them seem relatable on the surface.

And yet it's all executed so beautifully that I can't help but love it - it's probably among my favorite all around Coen Brothers opus, narrowly behind The Big Lebowski. Every one in the cast brings their A-game from Albert Finney to John Turturro to JE Freeman to Marcia Gay Harden to Jon Polito....all revolving around a grim, charismatic central performance from a stone-faced Gabriel Byrne. The cinematography from Barry Sonnenfeld is gorgeous and the costumes from Richard Hornung are super-sharp!

Consider me STILL blown away that this was released just within a couple of weeks of Goodfellas, State of Grace, AND King of New York....with which it shares key cast members like Turturro (State Of Grace) and Buscemi (King of New York). This film is just an all-around blast!

Best Needle-drop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Now there IS a key needle-drop which I was tempted to choose for this category but it’s more about what transpires on screen during that needle-drop so I’ll save it for just a bit.  And besides, this film happens to feature one of THE most hummable themes of the ‘90’s….SO good that I can be fairly confident it was used in multiple trailers since then.  The score repeats it several times throughout but it just tonally WORKS for this heightened neo-noir setting…..a mix of melancholy and whimsy. (Audio clip) 

It’s an orchestral score filled with strings and highlighted with clarinets and flutes….and yes those clarinets & flutes kick it off perfectly as the film ends on a close-up of Byrne’s regretful mug JUST as the credits start to kick on over the titular Miller’s Crossing.  Just truly majestic sounding music which comes to us from New York’s own Carter Burwell…who MIGHT be one of the more underrated film composers of the past 30+years.  Carter has had a strong career often collaborating with indie auteurs including Spike Jonze and Martin McDonogh but most notable is his long-running collaboration with the Coen Brothers going ALL the way back to their filmmaking debut….previous episode Blood Simple. (Audio clip) 

Burwell has composed the score for 19 Coen Brothers films, almost all of them, and here’s the crazy part: he has not been nominated for ANY of them and we are talking some truly memorable scores including Fargo, Raising Arizona, True Grit….and not this one which is a crime because I think it remains his BEST one overall.  The aforementioned music which closes out the movie is fittingly called, “End Credits.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

I would like to give a special shout-out to the late, great character actor JE Freeman who plays The Dane here….the VERY imposing henchman for Jon Polito’s Johnny Caspar with a complicated backstory who certainly leaves an impression every time he’s on screen.  The actor stands about 6’3” but I would say comes off as even taller on-screen, definitely the most intimidating character in a story FILLED with so-called “tough guys.” (Audio clip) 

Going back through his filmography – mostly in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s – he just keeps popping up with memorable supporting performances in several films which I just ADORE from those eras often playing TWO distinct types: snivelly bureaucrats in pure genre thrillers like Clear and Present Danger, Alien Resurrection ,and Copycat OR scary thugs in ironically LIGHTER fare like previous episodes Ruthless People and Go.   And he was always great occupying both lanes.(Audio clip) 

Sadly his career was tragically cut short as the actor had to take an early retirement from acting in 2004 after contracting the AIDS virus…he died ten years later at the age of 68 but his legacy will live on with great performances like this one, which is his BEST overall performance as far as I’m concerned.  He was just one of those super-reliable character actors who always brought it….along the lines of the late great JT Walsh.  RIP to The Dane. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now about that needle-drop which I had mentioned earlier….it’s a CLASSIC needle-drop and its inclusion during ONE key scene is likely the reason I personally consider this film a strong choice to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s considered one of THE most iconic Irish anthems/folk songs even though it was actually first written by a British lawyer back in 1910….I’m referring to….DANNY BOY. (Audio clip) 

For THIS particular version and scene, we hear it sung by Irish troubadour nicknamed “The Golden Tenor” Frank Patterson.  About 20 minutes in, we hear it playing on the phonograph (or old fashioned record player) of Albert Finney’s Irish local boss LEO in his upstairs bedroom while lighting up a stogie and laying on his bed.  Suddenly the camera pans along the floor downstairs as apparently, his security guys were just murdered downstairs with one of them dropping a lit cigarette on a newspaper…..it’s ALL about the details in this sequence no matter how absurd it is on paper.  We then follow two goons walking upstairs with Tommy Guns….and Leo notices smoke coming up through his floorboards….he then calmly puts his feet in slippers, puts down his cigar, and picks up a pistol right by his side….and suddenly the two assassins come in… (Audio clip) 

Leo leaps under the bed with his gun, the two goons unload into the bed….COMPLETELY missing him?  He shoots one of them down in the foot, THEN in the head….and then other one runs out….and Leo leaps upward out of the bed, grabs the tommy gun, then slides outside his window, tosses the tommy gun down, then does some kind of aerobatic maneuver to gently hang off the gutter outside of his window to LAND on his feet and then apparently catch the other assassin RIGHT by the open window….and aiming upward, he shoots the guy to pieces…pretty bloody too as the goon also starts shooting his feet as his body reverberates from Leo’s gunshots…..OK (Audio clip) 

By this point, Leo’s house is on fire and he’s standing upright with the Tommy gun….sees the other goons drive away down the street….they’re shooting at him….but he’s also shooting at them confidently walking in the middle of the street….they miss him but he nabs the car about a block away as it smashes into a tree and catches fire.  Leo has defeated EVERY one – 4 to 1 I believe – then picks up his cigar out of his pocket and starts smoking it again as he has flames on two sides of him, he’s fine.  (Audio clip) 

NOW….describing this sequence aloud not only doesn’t do it justice but I have to admit….the logistics don’t make much sense, it might be even hard to take seriously now to think of it.  But WATCHING it – Sonnenfeld’s camera is in ALL of the right spots, the editing is so crisp you kind of ignore the physics, Finney is playing with the PERFECT level of dashing, the Danny Boy music is a great ironic counterpoint….it all comes together fantastically.  Would you see this kind of sequence in a gritty crime drama from the likes of Scorsese or an Abel Ferrara?  Hell no….but in this instance, it’s just 100% bravura filmmaking so I’ll go with it!

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Since late last year, I have made a concerted effort to narrow this category to only ONE winner at a time….it was just too many three-way ties.  But in this case, I HAVE to give it to the brothers….at this point in their career, they were a cohesive team crafting a series of excellent films even if one was technically allowed the designation of “Director” at the time due to DGA rules.  And if I’m being perfectly honest, I DO prefer them as a unit….I liked but did not love the last two films which were 100% separately directed by each brother: previous episodes Drive Away Dolls and The Tragedy of MacBeth….solid films mind you.  But these two work best when they are together – therefore for collaborating on what I believe is among their Top Five Best Films, the Coen Brothers are co-MVP’s.

Overall Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Streaming on Apple TV Plus

And a special Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of the DAMES, DANES, FLOOSIES, and FLUNKIES out there….feel free to pop on this almost 35 year old classic to add to the festivities! 

And that ends another STRAIGHT AS A CORKSCREW review!