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Just the 3rd film conceived by the Coen brothers, Miller’s Crossing was just the beginning of what is now quite a legendary career for these two. Like almost every film of theirs, Miller’s Crossing is a unique and obscure flick, with a lot of interesting twists and some quirky dialogue. The Coen’s thrive on those unique aspects, portraying each of them to near perfection each time around. They have had a few misses in their career, but the majority are hits, in a big way, succeeding at the utmost level. Miller’s Crossing is definitely no exception, and near the top of the list for the brothers, probably only behind No Country for Old Men and Fargo.
Set back in the Prohibition era 1920’s, Miller’s Crossing focuses on pretty much every character with depth, but chooses two specific groups most of the duration; the gangs, that happen to be rivals. The twist? It isn’t a spoiler, but the main character (Byrne) is working for both of them, and actually switching back and forth between the two. It had similarities to The Departed, except all parties were aware of his presence throughout. He’s his own rat, working individually to milk all he can from each crime boss, double crossing his “friends’ left and right. Gabriel Byrne is truly an excellent actor, and this his best role I’ve witnessed. The Usual Suspects is another film to note, as he does well there too. The film then progresses to more double crossing, lies, and a bravura of plot twists mainly shot with a sense of humor behind it, making it a black comedy, but still managing to take itself seriously when it matters most. The violence portrayed within isn’t fully believable, more or so like a cartoon at some points, with very predictable punches being thrown, and each one knocking the opposing man great distances. However, seeing as it’s set back in the 20’s may explain that. It may bother some, but I highly enjoyed it, finding it very beneficial for what the film was going for.
Grade-A cinematography in this one, showing the big green forest located near “Miller’s Crossing”, glowing in the day, foggy in the night, and the gorgeous locations throughout the whole movie, just beautiful stuff. That alone should make this film worth watching. If I were to show film students an example of how shooting locations should be done, Miller’s Crossing would be near the top of the list.
Miller’s Crossing is only for the more mature audiences. Those who look at other aspects of filmmaking other than the obvious entertainment value and such will admire this. Each deep and meaningful film-making technique is portrayed great in this flick, and those who are not film buffs may not find this useful. Personally, I think it’s a masterpiece, and one of the greatest crime/thrillers ever made.
10.0/10
