Miller's Crossing
MILLER'S CROSSING (15)
D: Joel Coen
20th Century Fox/Circle Films (Ethan Coen)
US 1990
115 mins
Crime/Thriller
W: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
DP: Barry Sonnenfeld
Ed: Michael R. Miller
Mus: Carter Burwell
PD: Dennis Gassner
Cos: Richard Hornung
Gabriel Byrne (Tom Reagan), Marcia Gay Harden (Verna),
John Turturro (Bernie Bernbaum), Jon Polito (Johnny Caspar), J.E. Freeman (Eddie Dane), Albert Finney (Leo)
Not quite in the same regard as the Coen Brothers' other
films (Fargo, No Country For Old Men, etc.), this is probably one for die-hard fans of the filmmakers of gangster movie enthusiasts only.
It's quite a complicated, convuluted tale of two warring
mob bosses during prohibitio-era America. The characters & dialogue are quite Coen-esque, but not quite as quirky as their usual, while the attention to the period is given justice by
Barry Sonnenfeld's atmospheric photography, as well as the production and costume design, in addition to Carter Burwell's memorable music score.
It occasionally (and quite unnecessarily) drags in many
places, but does feature one classic scene between Gabriel Byrne & John Turturro, where the latter prays for his life in the woods, which makes the film altogether well worth a
watch.
8/10
