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Miller's Crossing (1990)
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Overview
User Rating:
Writers:
Release Date:
October 1990 (USA)
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Tagline:
What's the rumpus? more
Plot:
Tom Regan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 wins
&
2 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
Scenes We Love: Miller's Crossing
(From Cinematical. 6 November 2009, 11:02 AM, PST)
London Film Festival 2009: A Serious Man
(From SoundOnSight. 29 October 2009, 9:55 PM, PDT)
(From Cinematical. 6 November 2009, 11:02 AM, PST)
London Film Festival 2009: A Serious Man
(From SoundOnSight. 29 October 2009, 9:55 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
The Intellectual's Gangster Film
more (246 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Gabriel Byrne | ... | Tom Reagan |
 | Marcia Gay Harden | ... | Verna |
 | John Turturro | ... | Bernie Bernbaum |
 | Jon Polito | ... | Johnny Caspar |
 | J.E. Freeman | ... | Eddie Dane |
 | Albert Finney | ... | Leo |
 | Mike Starr | ... | Frankie |
| Al Mancini | ... | Tic-Tac |
| Richard Woods | ... | Mayor Dale Levander |
| Thomas Toner | ... | O'Doole |
 | Steve Buscemi | ... | Mink |
| Mario Todisco | ... | Clarence "Drop" Johnson |
 | Olek Krupa | ... | Tad |
 | Michael Jeter | ... | Adolph |
| Lanny Flaherty | ... | Terry |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR |
Dolby Digital (DVD version)
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
Singapore:NC-16 |
France:-12 |
Brazil:16 |
USA:TV-MA (cable rating) |
South Korea:18 |
Norway:11 (DVD rating) |
Norway:15 (TV rating) |
Germany:18 (nf) |
Argentina:16 |
Australia:M |
Finland:K-16 |
Germany:18 (video rating) |
Netherlands:16 |
New Zealand:R18 |
Portugal:M/16 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:15 (re-rating) |
UK:18 |
USA:R (Approved No. 30173) |
Canada:R (Canadian Home Video rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The character Eddie Dane was originally written for Peter Stormare and was to be named The Swede. Stormare had to decline as he was appearing as Hamlet in the Broadway production. The part was then re-written and re-cast, and became The Dane.
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Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the Dane goes to Verna's apartment, Verna pulls a gun out of her purse on the bed and points it at the Dane. He then slaps her hand with the gun, but the sound of the slap is clearly before the visual.
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Quotes:
Eddie Dane:
Mr Inside-Outsky just like some God-damned Bolshevik picking up his orders from Yegg Central.
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Movie Connections:
References The Third Man (1949)
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Soundtrack:
King Porter Stomp
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FAQ
What is the Italian song sung by Frankie at Miller's Crossing?Is "MIller's Crossing" based on a book?
What does "schmatte" mean?
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more (246 total)
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"I'm talkin' about friendship. I'm talkin' about character. I'm talkin' about--hell Leo, I ain't embarrassed to use the word--ethics." So Jon Polito, as crime-boss Johnny "Caspar," describes to his overlord, Albert Finney as "Leo," his point of view while seeking permission to kill a double-crossing underling (played by John Turturro) in the opening lines of __Miller's Crossing__. Had the script sought only to explore the power relationship between the two chief mobsters (one the rising Italian, the other the diminishing Irishman), this would have been a very good gangster film. It portrays an earlier era in the nation's history of organized crime (perhaps Chicago in the late '20s), and one can imagine Leo as the Irish predecessor of __The Godfather__'s Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando).
Just as __The Godfather__ was really about family relationships and the ethical complexities arising when familial loyalty collides with the business of violence, however, __Miller's Crossing__ is actually about, as Caspar tells us, friendship and character put under the enormous strain of that same business of violence. The film, therefore, centers on Leo's trusted adviser Tom (played flawlessly by the Irish actor Gabriel Byrne). Tom is not a gunsel, but the brain behind Leo's muscle. His decisions carry life and death consequences, however, and we watch him try to live with himself, to preserve his character, as he works out a code that will help him and his friends survive brutally violent upheavals. Critics of the film have cited its graphic cruelty and the seeming coldness of its characters, yet these are essential features in developing the film's theme.
Sentimentality might get any of the major characters killed, and one notes the pathos and dark humor that underline an ironic distance that each character, especially Tom, cultivates as a tool for survival.
Clues abound as we wonder what Tom will do next. Follow, for example, the men's hats over the course of the film. Who "keeps his lid on," so to speak, and who loses his? Note the number of times characters exclaim "Jesus!" or "Damn!" when saying the name "Tom." What has he sacrificed? Has he damned himself?
Spectacular action sequences, beautiful production values, top-notch camera work by Barry Sonnenfeld, a haunting musical score, and the best dialogue ever written by the Coen brothers make this a great gangster film. The fascinating and complex theme of friendship, character, and ethics make it one of the great films from any genre.