Review of Miller's Crossing (1990) by Nathan R — 16 Oct 2015

Been meaning to see this since it first came out, and now finally getting around to it now that I've seen most of the other Coen Bros. films (and enjoyed them).

Great cast. And they do come through with good performances. Turturro in particular was his usual great self.

Also some nice plot twists, and kept you guessing as to the outcome.

However, it suffers from a fatal flaw. It is inconsistent tonally.

At times the film dips into their trademark, quirky, darkly comic style. (Cases in point: the sounds of explosions and gunshots in the background of one scene, the almost comical number of cops outside of a building, the way that the cops raid some establishments, all done in that exaggeratingly comic style characteristic of the Coens). However, most of the time, it moves along as was is by far the most dramatic of the Coen's films, perhaps, and much more straightforwardly so, taking itself very seriously. This contrasting combination makes it difficult then to take the proceedings -- which are rather overly melodramatic at times as well, and not in that Coen style -- very seriously. It makes for an odd mix.

Perhaps it is also due to casting actors that don't quite fit that Coen style. While talented, the Irishman Bryne and the Brit Finney are playing it straight, and aren't capturing that uniquely American Coen style. But is that what they were going for here? That's the problem: it's unclear.

My response may also reflect my mixed feelings about the gangster genre generally.

I finished it because I was curious as to the fate of the characters. But not because I felt very invested in them, really compelled by it, or was really.

Entertained by it.

In any case, I was underwhelmed.