Search - Miller's Crossing on DVD

Miller's Crossing

Actor(s): Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, John Turturro
Director(s): Joel Coen
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Movie Details

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity
Movie Release: 1990
DVD Release: 05/20/2003
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned
Edition: Dual Layered
Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish
Subtitles: English, Spanish
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 55 mins
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Members Wishing: 9
Genres: Crime, Crime Thriller, Gangster Film

DVD Synopsis

Joel and Ethan Coen's third collaboration, the gangster film Miller's Crossing, stars Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan, the right-hand man of big-city Irish mob boss Leo (Albert Finney). The film opens with Italian mobster Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) and his second in command Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) informing Leo and Tom that they are going to kill bookie Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) because he has been revealing Caspar's fixed fights to other gamblers. Leo informs Caspar that Bernie pays for protection and is not to be touched. After the Italians leave in a huff, Tom informs Leo that he should give up Bernie. Tom and Leo are both involved with Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), Bernie's sister. After a failed hit on Leo starts a full-scale mob war, Tom reveals to Leo the truth about his relationship with Verna. This leads to a falling-out between the pair. Tom goes to work for Caspar, but in truth, he is still loyal to Leo. Tom figures out how to manipulate all of the situations so that Leo survives, but this may cost Tom his relationship with Verna. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Actors

Gabriel Byrne - Tom Reagan
Albert Finney - Leo
Marcia Gay Harden - Verna
Jon Polito - Johnny Caspar
John Turturro - Bernie Bernbaum

Editorial Review of DVD

Miller's Crossing is the Coen brothers film that few are familiar with, which is a shame, since it's one of their best works. For the most part, this DVD does justice to an amazing work of art. The high point is unquestionably the image. Framed at 1.85:1 and anamorphic, it's impossible not to recognize Barry Sonnenfeld's gorgeous cinematography. Of particular interest are the browns, which permeate the film. They are warm and full of detail, as is the remainder of the color scheme. The darkness of the film is obviously part of the Coens' master plan, and it comes across spectacularly here. It's refreshing to see that this film wasn't give a lesser treatment. The 4.0 Dolby Digital soundtrack can't match the visuals, but that doesn't mean it's not noteworthy. Though surrounds are rarely heard, there is some separation up front, giving the film extra life. Sadly, the supplemental features are rather thin. Though good, an interview with Sonnenfeld on a number of subjects related to this film just isn't enough. It seems clear there is so much more that could have been discussed, but simply isn't. Brief interviews from Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, and John Turturro don't have the time to add much either, though the actors' love of this film is quite obvious. Finally, along with a photo gallery of meager proportions, are trailers for this film, Raising Arizona, and Barton Fink. While lacking in some ways, Fox has done just enough to satisfy the fervent legion of fans that adore this film. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide

Member Movie Reviews

Kendra M. (KendraM) from NASHVILLE, TN wrote on 5/19/2008...

This is not a great movie.

I watched The Coen Brothers' Blood Simple for the first time a few weeks ago and really enjoyed watching Francis McDermott. She was fantastic in Fargo. Fargo was a great movie with all the right moves, excellent tone, bizarre characters, and a flatly affected but very strong pregnant cop played by McDermott. The Coen brothers are known for their slightly off-kilter films. Raising Arizona with Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter was a very successful and entertaining quirky movie. Strange characters and bizarre situations can be very entertaining. The formula just doesn't work in Miller's Crossing.

Gabriel Byrne stars as a dirtball gangster. He's the slimey no. 2 to Albert Finney in Finney's massive gangster world. Finney is the real power in this mystery city and Byrne's authority and power comes from only the fact that he has Finney's confidence. Finney is the star of the movie for me. In this unnamed city, the mayor and the police chief are in his pocket until his rival "goes to war" with his gang and starts to get the upper hand. Byrne is having a "liaison" with Albert Finney's galpal played ably by Marcia Gay Harden. Byrne is Finney's second in command, so his choice of girlfriend is highly questionable. Over the course of the convoluted plot and where dirtbags of all stripes show up and do their thing, Byrne is forced to kill a man to show his new pals that he is not a mole or traitor. Well, Byrne has a little itty bitty heart and lets the pathetic victim go so long as he disappears from town. The intended victim is his girlfriend's brother so it makes sense not to whack him.

Byrne makes his way between the two warring gangs all the while trying to get some money to pay off his gambling debts. It's all really quite silly and meaningless. There are lots of false deep moments with characters pretending to have souls and more than one layer to their shallow characters but they can't quite pull it off. This is a movie populated with characters who are all essentially the same, completely corrupt-- with little or no ethics or care for anybody else but themselves.

The main problem with quirky films is that they so often end badly. What I mean is that the filmmakers don't quite know how to conclude the story or they purposefully leave the ending obscure just so they can retain their "quirky" reputations.

Why is it seen as something of a failure in modern hollywood films to properly conclude a story? At one time, this was considered the mark of a well-constructed story-- one that has a beginning, middle, and end. Some "artists" apparently find the concept unfulfilling and perhaps even a bit constricting-- well, I want a proper ending to my stories! Why should the audience have to make up their own endings? It's just lazy story-telling disquised as avant-garde "art".

The ending in this movie was completely frustrating. Nothing was wrapped up for the main characters (except those that got whacked) and what seems like a perfectly reasonable option presented to Byrne at the closing is rejected by him for no apparent reason. Finney's character doesn't quite understand the ending and neither do I. But Byrne is apparently motivated by other character traits that unfortunately nobody in the audience knows anything about.

Folks in this movie don't learn alot, and don't change alot. It's just another "slice of life" in this particular weird, bizarro Coen brothers world.

The film is beautiful to watch with lush dark colors everywhere. Everybody is wan and pale and even the scenery is washed out. The direction is excellent and the pacing fine. The performances are all adequate or better, but it's just not enough. The dialogue is stilted and terse. Albert Finney owns this movie and so does Marcia Gay Harden.

Essentially, this approach to filmmaking and story telling is a treat for the filmmakers but a frustration for the audience. At the end of the movie I want to know what happens next, I want the storyline concluded, and I don't want to waste my time guessing and speculating about what happens to the characters after the credits because I really just don't care enough about the film or the shallow one or two dimensional characters to waste my time on the exercise.