Review of Miller's Crossing (1990) by Darien S — 27 Feb 2013

Miller's Crossing has typical Coen Brothers elements: quirky characters, unpredictable twists, and absurd dark humor, but it doesn't resonate like most of their other films. There aren't enough funny moments and thematically the film is very weak. The noir elements of the film felt like they were squeezing all of the life out of the film. The femme fatale, the brooding/unpredictable protagonist, and the convoluted plot make most of the film feel uncomfortably familiar. I haven't seen enough classic film noirs to be derisive of the genre itself, but of the copycats I have seen, I am not impressed by it. The protagonist in a noir is never as complex as the film makes him out to be- he's just conflicted. And the protagonist in this film seems more flighty than he does multi-layered. He plays everyone against each other for seemingly no reason. The Man With No Name archetype, at least, has very clear motivations. Clint Eastwood's cowboy embodied the Noir protagonist, except set in a Western. The Man With No Name is self serving to the end. The Noir protagonist doesn't know what the the hell he wants, which makes him boring to watch. I am fine with conflicted protagonists but their conflict has to be interesting. As it is, the main character in this film isn't attached to anything- he doesn't want the girl, he doesn't care about his mob boss, he doesn't care about money...he's almost a slightly emotional android. Therein lies my central problem with the film (and maybe the film noir genre itself- time will tell on that one). I also don't like the convoluted mystery aspect of a noir film. I don't like mysteries at all unless the characters are elevated above the plot (like the detective serial element of the Harry Potter films).

Don't get me wrong. There are some great moments. The unpredictable stand offs, the circus that is the gangsters and police, and the performances all are up to par with other Coen Brothers films. This film just doesn't have enough soul. It is caught up in its boring protagonist and mediocre plotting.