The Coen's always do great films don�t they? Fargo was deliciously dark, The Big Lebowski was friggin� hilarious and the others were all great too. All with their quirky characters and sumptuous settings, the Coen's know how to make a film. However, in 1990, Miller�s Crossing was and still is a largely unheard of film from the Coens and it is arguably their best.
This is the Coen's take on a gangster film, but it isn�t that simple, as the film says, �nothing is as it seems�. The film has a slightly dark, slightly parodic take on the gangster genre, and is all the better for it. Amid the beautiful setting of tall buildings and the autumnal woods of Miller�s Crossing, are the characters of the film; Leo (Finney), Tom Reagan (Byrne), the cold hearted Dane (J.E Freeman) and Caspar (John Polito), whom are all played with great talent. Yet the greatest characters in the film are the bit part characters, who give the film a bit more depth, like John Turturros� character Bernie, who has one of the greatest scenes in the film, which I won�t reveal.
The pace of the film is quite slow, but the story being so twisty and deceptive, like its main character Tom Reagan, there is a reason for it. The story is complex and the cinematography is extremely clever, which makes the film sometimes feel like a play, what with its constant images that all have some kind of secret meaning. To break up the great dialogue are some absolutely fantastic action scenes, one of my favourites involves Albert Finney in his robe gunning people down to the theme of Danny Boy. Superb!
What more can I say? This film is brilliant, certainly something different for once, and just goes to show again the diversity of the Coen's range of movie styles. They�ve done screwball comedy, film noir, drama, thriller, black comedies - and this gangster film. They are truly brilliant, and this film is the best they�ve done. Much more incentive to watch again and again than Fargo, and more darkly funny than their other films. Do yourself a favour, buy it on DVD (its just come out), sit down and enjoy Miller�s Crossing. |
