The Cohen brothers have thus far had a
career filled with interesting films. These include Blood
Simple, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo,The Big
Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou, and The Man Who Wasn't There.
Miller's Crossing is one of their early films, made in 1990 before
Fink and after Arizona. It lacks some of the wild
wackiness that is the trademark of many of their films.It's an
interesting story, well acted by Gabriel Byrne and featuring John
Turturro in one of his best performances. Jon Polito and Albert
Finney are also great in their roles as organized crime bosses.
Perhaps the highlight of this film is the dialogue. It's filled
with very punchy, funny, rhythmic prohibition-era slang. They sure
knew how to flap their hooch holes in those days.
It's probably most similar to O Brother, but a lot of the
elements that people like about the other Cohen brothers films is
present in Millers Crossing, so if you like their other work, you
should check this out. It holds up well against the others.
If you're only familiar with Raising Arizona and The Big
Lebowski, be warned that it's a bit more serious, but in a good way.
It still has plenty of funny situations.
These DVD reviews are short, aren't they? The Masked Reviewer
knows they don't go as deep as his theatrical reviews, but that's
because he's just starting out. They'll get better.
DVD Extra Features: Interviews, trailers, still gallery.
Expectation from the Title: After grinding flour for
twenty years, the hero is betrayed by his best friend.
Mother's Rule (Always Say Something Good About Everything):
The gangsters take a lot of pride in their clothing.
The Pros: Acting is great, the dialogue is wonderful.
The Cons: Not quite enough wackiness...when it happens, you
want more.
