Miller's Crossing Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Whats the rumpus?

Every line of dialouge in this is a gem. Like Raymond Chandler lite this is gangster movie speak for serious movie buffs.

'The Hi Hat', 'Sheeney's', 'Sick Twists' and 'The Rumpus' are the slang of the hour.

Truely The Coen's are masters of genre. The sumptous look and death by chocolate rich words are more than enough to reccomend this movie but that Coen humour shines through in every moment.

Masterpiece

Criminally overlooked on initial release, the coen brothers noir / gangster masterpiece stands shoulder to shoulder with other greats of the genre. Complex plotting, superb dialogue and first class acting make this a must see. The coen's are yet to make anyhthing short of a great film and this is up there with the best of them. 'Nobody knows anybody, not that well'.

Dull, lifeless, terrible

I cannot imageine why I chose this film. It was dull, tedious, wooden acting from start to finish. Appalling Irish accents, the most pathetic plot imaginable. Not sure what happened here but this was a real "straight to video" production.

Sublime

What a great film. So stylish, very funny in parts, the screen is oozing beautiful, due to photography of Barry Sonnenfield.

Trust me watch this film, it superb. It's all about 'ethics' and bowler hats.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Not A Gangster Flick

Anyone expecting a run of the mill gangster flick should give this film a miss. Whilst it's focussed around the activities of such the film really focuses on the dilemmas that the characters face throughout.

If you do rent this I can recommend watching the interviews with Gabriel Byrne who sums up the film very well. A must watch for any film buff.

Utterly Superb

A truly brilliant film. The Cohen Brothers have masterfully woven their beautiful style of cinematography with a true gangster plot line. The story twists constantly and the struggle for power among the characters is perfectly conveyed. In true Cohen Brothers style, every bowler hat is placed carefully into every shot. I am constantly blown away by the style and symbolic imagery that the Cohen’s manage to create in their films, this film is no exception. While some might shy toward saying that they have forgotten the original elements of a true gangster flick, I would argue that this is a perfectly Cohen take on a common and conventional theme.

Utterly Superb.

Forgot the plot

This film for me just failed to get going. I loved Fargo and Oh Brother but this was just a bore. The dialogue and storyline I think was trying to be slick, but it just lost me and confused me.

I think the Coen films are either masterpieces or duff. This is definitely a duff one. So disappointed.

Jesus, Tom! Yegg Central

Perhaps the best Coen film made. But then again most of their films are so different that this type of claim is really an absurdity. The Coens have a knack for idiosyncratic investigation into the world that informs a script. In this case, they became fully learned in the language and world of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Suffering from writer's block halfway through the writing, they wrote _Barton Fink_ (a film about writer's block). Gabriel Byrne is fantastic as the hardboiled but non-violent smart guy. He said this was one of his favorite films to work on, an anecdote being that one Coen brother would be filming a scene, walk off, and the other brother would take over midflight.

The Dane, a gay mobster, is fantastic. Every line, every character is gold. But if you're one for the obvious macho energy of the classic gangster films, then for you Miller's Crossing will make everything seem inverted: 'Up is down, black is white...I'd bet you'd rather join a ladies league than gun a guy down.'

Brilliant

This really is a great film, it was unpredictable and beautifully shot - and Gabriel Byrne was perfect. Definately a film to buy and watch again and again.

Beautiful dispassionate film

That's maybe a bit too clever/cool for it's own good. A film for repeat viewings though, too many top moments to count.

I wish the Coen Bros would go back to this era/style, I've enjoyed the 'wackier' recent stuff but I want more films from them where people look cool in hats!