i must have seen a different film!!

A lot of fun.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Tom (Gabriel Byrne) is the right hand man of mobster Leo (Albert Finney). They've always "ruled" their city, despite elected officials. But, now, complications arise. Leo's galpal, Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) is seen as a hardened dame, using Leo for a better life. Her brother, Bernie (John Tuturro) is a bookie who is in trouble with Leo and with another rising mob boss, Johnny (Jon Polito). Because Bern is his lover's bro, Leo is reluctant to act against him. Meanwhile, Verna and Tom are having a secret affair, hardly loyal to Leo. Then, too, Tom is exploring working on the side for Johnny, because he has big debts to pay. Wouldn't you know it, Tom is soon asked to "off" Bernie at Miller's Crossing, a secluded wooded area where few bodies will be found. After all, Tom must prove his allegiance to Johnny. Fortunately, Tom finds a way out of his dilemma, but it doesn't solve the long term situation. Plus, Leo discovers Tom's double life, beats him up, and disowns him. With a growing battle between mobsters, who will remain standing? This intriguing, grimly majestic movie is a stellar piece of film making. The dialogue is superb, making the viewer hang on every word. Then, too, the direction includes scenes of great expertise, such as the one where a boy discovers a dead body, only to be startled when the man's toupee flies off. The actors, too, are great, with Tuturro, especially, exhibiting mighty prowess. As a period piece, one admires the thirties costumes and decor. All in all, MC was one of the first great Coen flicks and fans can argue it is the best of them all.

Dark, brooding and full of intrigue, "Miller's Crossing" was the third movie to be written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and in the opinion of many, was also their best. It's certainly good to watch because of its rather involved story, its eccentric characters and the droll humour that's such a trademark of the Coens' work. Typically, for a gangster movie, no-one can be trusted and there are plenty of betrayals, double crosses and deceptions. More surprisingly, however, there are also some occasions where certain individuals, uncharacteristically, show genuine loyalty and aspire to act ethically.In the late 1920s, Irish mobster Leo O'Bannon (Albert Finney) who has both the Police Chief and the Mayor on his payroll, is also the de facto political leader of an unnamed Eastern city in the United States. In his day to day work he values the sound advice that he's regularly given by his friend and fellow gangster, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) but when he's visited by his rival, an Italian mobster called Johnny Casper (Jon Polito), a situation arises in which he feels unable to follow Tom's advice.Leo learns that a bookie called Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) has routinely been disclosing information about Casper's fixed fights to other gamblers and in order to stop the losses that he's been suffering; Casper is intent on eliminating Bernie without delay. When Leo says that Bernie pays for protection and isn't to be touched, Casper becomes both furious and frustrated. The real reason that Leo doesn't agree to the hit is because Bernie's sister Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) is his mistress. Tom tries to get Leo to change his mind by telling him that Verna is a grifter who's just using him but Leo isn't prepared to listen.Everything changes after a failed hit on Leo triggers a gang war. Tom discloses that he's having an affair with Verna and then also switches sides to work with Casper. In order to prove his loyalty to his new boss, Tom is ordered to kill Bernie and although he makes it look as if he's done so, he actually lets the treacherous bookie go. This proves to be a bad move because the fact that the hit was not witnessed, puts Tom in a tight spot when he gets targeted by Casper's sadistic henchman Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) and blackmailed by Bernie. Furthermore, in order to end the gang war and settle a few scores in the process, Tom not only manipulates the events that follow so expertly that he achieves his various aims but also does so in a way that unequivocally proves his loyalty to Leo.Jon Polito is terrific as the hot-headed Casper who despairs at the lack of ethics that he encounters in his business dealings and says "if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?". Marcia Gay Harden does well as the heartless, two-timing Verna and John Turturro is brilliant as the repulsive Bernie. Albert Finney as the tough gangster who shows more humanity than most and Gabriel Byrne as the story's great schemer, are also both perfect in their lead roles."Miller's Crossing" is very stylish, well-written and features some magnificent cinematography which as well as being aesthetically pleasing, contributes so much to the atmosphere of the piece. What makes it most absorbing, however, is the quality of its story and the idiosyncrasies of its characters.

I would echo the review of Pclark in nearly all aspects. I want to add something that I am going to flag as a "spoiler" even though it isn't about the plot or the movie, per se: It is about technique. Miller's Crossing does an absolutely brilliant job of taking things to an exaggerated level (dialog, plot, characters, everything), but never crossing the line where you would not take it seriously while watching it. The Coen Brothers just weave magic around the hyperbole line: They run right up against it, but never quite cross it. Miller's Crossing is truly a singular film: You will find nothing else like it anywhere.

This film was not brought to my attention until I was already well into the Cohen Brothers. It's not one of their better known titles such as Fargo or Raising Arizona, but it should be highest on their list, as it is truly a masterful work of cinema.The film, visually, is beautiful. The cinematography has a very classic, noir look to it. The dialogue is sharp, the acting is solid. The story is pretty standard but done in such a professional way.Basically, two big mob bosses are feuding and the characters are either part of the feud or get caught up in it, much to their dismay. There are a lot of artistic touches the Cohen Brothers add that enhance the style of the film, such as a hat motif that extends throughout the work.Anyone who is a fan of the Cohen Brothers or film noir should definitely see this film. It astounded me and I consider it an underrated work by the brothers.