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Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, John Turturro ... see more see more... , J.E. Freeman , Danny Aiello III , Joey Ancona , Michael Badalucco , Steve Buscemi , Kevin Dearie , Dave Drinkx , Esteban Fernandez , Charles Ferrara , Lanny Flaherty , Charles Gunning , Jack David Harris , Michael Jeter , Helen Jolly , Jeanette Kontomitras , Olek Krupa , Robert La Brosse , Zolly Levin , Al Mancini , John "Spud" McConnell , Frances McDormand , Hilda McLean , Louis Charles Mounicou III , Don Picard , Bill Raye , William Preston Robertson , Carl Rooney , John Schnauder Jr. , Mike Starr , Monte Starr , Mario Todisco , Thomas Toner , Salvatore H. Tornabene , Richard Woods , David Darlow , George Fernandez , Jery Hewitt , John Lyons , Donna Isaacson

Joel and Ethan Coen's third collaboration, the gangster film Miller's Crossing, stars Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan, the right-hand man of big-city Irish mob boss Leo (Albert Finney). The film opens wit... read more read more...h Italian mobster Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) and his second in command Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) informing Leo and Tom that they are going to kill bookie Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) because he has been revealing Caspar's fixed fights to other gamblers. Leo informs Caspar that Bernie pays for protection and is not to be touched. After the Italians leave in a huff, Tom informs Leo that he should give up Bernie. Tom and Leo are both involved with Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), Bernie's sister. After a failed hit on Leo starts a full-scale mob war, Tom reveals to Leo the truth about his relationship with Verna. This leads to a falling-out between the pair. Tom goes to work for Caspar, but in truth, he is still loyal to Leo. Tom figures out how to manipulate all of the situations so that Leo survives, but this may cost Tom his relationship with Verna. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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54 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Release Date: September 22, 1990

Keywords: mob, gangster

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DVD Release Date: May 20, 2003

Stats: 3,249 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,249)

  • FrizzDrop
    January 6, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    The Coens, always masters of the period piece, gangster, uninhibited violence types of films, have made a much more subtle, and more character driven film than they had previously attempted. Though there are many supporting characters with their own vendettas, political factions,... read more and die hard approach to crime syndication, it's the singular path of Tom Reagan (Gabriel Bryne) that interests the watcher of this film. It's his actions that drive the rest of the film into fruition. The supporting cast is exceptional, beyond words or compare. Albert Finney is the mob boss who runs the unnamed city (the film was shot in New Orleans) with the full support of the city's mayor and police chief during the Prohibition era. He runs the rackets, a booze joint, and has Reagan by his side as his right hand man. Reagan himself is an enrapturing character, both quiet and reserved, and yet frightening in the fact that he has a fierce attitude under the surface. Though he seems not able to kill the men who cross him and his boss through his harsh conscience, he is dangerous, able to hit men with chairs, backstab anyone who is a direct threat, and change the entire political system of the city through blackmail, deceit, and faking deaths left and right. He even lets certain men who try to berate and reveal his true colors be beaten and killed for their efforts. The entire movie is an intricate plot filled melange of slight noir, gangster film, and period piece. The plot was so thorough that the Coens had to stop and write an entirely different movie just to get their heads clear. The film is filled with iconic scenes of murder, intrigue, and politics that amount to some very tense scenes. The entire film isn't all needless violence of course. The scene in the woods, one of the only examples of one scene hinging everything together, was poignantly bereft of violence and later came back to make the ending even more meaningful. The absolute badass of everything was when Finney escapes death while pulling some Godfather worthy stunts. Every aspect of this has the right mood, an understandable yet complex plot, and a great cast. One of the best Coen films of all time.
  • blkbomb
    December 16, 2011
    blkbomb
    Eddie Dane: You understand that if we don't find a stiff out here, we leave a fresh one. 

    "Up is down, black is white, and nothing is what it seems."

    Miller's Crossing is the Coen's first masterpiece and after twenty more years of making movies, it still holds up amongst their ... read morebest. It is a movie that is overshadowed by other mobster movies like Goodfellas and is also under appreciated, not only as a mobster film, but as a Coen film. Miller's Crossing isn't given the credit it deserves. This gave audiences a sneak peek at what they would soon see in Fargo. The plot twists and turns and at times you don't know what the characters angles are or who they are really being loyal to. 

    A crime boss(Leo) and his right hand man(Tommy) split. Tommy turns his back on Leo and goes and joins up with Leo's enemy(Casper). There's so much going on, that the plot is kind of hard to describe from here. Casper wants a bookie dead and Leo doesn't. Leo and Tommy have the same love interest and that love interest's brother is the bookie. Casper's right hand man(the Dane) hates Tommy and likewise with Tommy. It isn't as hard to follow while watching the film, but there is a lot of double crossings and at times you really don't know what is going to happen.

    Miller's Crossing doesn't have the huge following of other Coen films like The Big Lebowski or Fargo. But big Coen brother fans know and love this movie because it is such a brilliant piece of filmmaking. You can put the dialogue up there with the best of the Coen's work. The films graphic violence scenes are masterfully well done, and although Roger Deakins didn't do the cinematography on Miller's Crossing, Barry Sonnenfeld does a great job making the movie look good.

    As good as Miller's Crossing is, Joel and Ethan would still improve from here and go on to make even better movies. This deserves consideration when talking about the best of the best when it comes to the mobster genre. It might not be Goodfellas, but it isn't too far from it.

    Verna: Maybe that's why I like you, Tom. I've never met anyone who made being a son of a bitch such a point of pride. 
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    September 4, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    In the long line of Gangster pictures, Miller's Crossing almost seems like a forgotten gem of a film. The Coens always made solid, entertaining films aside from one film, which I won't mention. They are perfectionists of cinema. Miller's Crossing is a stunning gangster film that ... read moreis set during the prohibition era. This film is a masterpiece of the crime genre, and the Coen Brothers have made a memorable film that will appeal to fans of gangster films and crime films in general for that matter. Miller's Crossing has got an incredible cast of talented actors. The film is well crafted, and the pace of this film is really what elevates this film in telling a terrific, effective and emotional story. The Coens are masters at their craft and it shows. The cast are terrific. Gabriel Byrne gives an excellent performance as Tom Reagan an Irish mob bosses' right hand man. Albert Finney plays Leo, the mob boss that Tom works for. Finney is incredible in the part he plays. The film is an epic in crime films, and fans of the genre owe themselves the chance to check this film out. Miller's Crossing has a few memorable and classic scenes. One scene that made the film truly something different was when Leo nearly gets assassinated and gets the upper hand, and arms himself with a Tommy Gun and in a very stylized and violent scene, kills his potential murderers Hey, the old man is still an artist with a Thompson. Another scene was when Tom is force to knock off Bernie Bembaum (John Torturro) that scene has so much power as we see Bernie beg for his life. Miller's Crossing is a flawless gangster film, and it definitely ranks up there as one of the best gangster films such as The Godfather, Goodfellas and Once Upon A Time in America.
  • stevenecarrier
    June 29, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    "Miller's Crossing" is the very good prohibition era crime drama from the Coen Brothers. One of the better examples of this limited genre, the film features traditionally savvy performances (Marcia Gay Harden is the utter standout) and slick cinematography. While the actual narra... read moretive can seem a tad dry the Coen Brothers make up for it with certain moments and character interactions and reveals. Not their strongest work but still very much worth seeing if you are a fan of complicated, talky crime dramas like "The Godfather."

    For a reference point, this was the type of film Robert Altman was trying to craft with his extremely misguided "Kansas City" years after the release of "Miller's Crossing".
  • garyX
    June 13, 2011
    garyX
    An Irish gangster splits with his boss after an argument over his mistress and finds both sides of a mob war trying to tempt him over to their side. Unusually lacking in their trademark quirky humour, Miller's Crossing is possibly the most "straight" film the Coens have made so f... read morear. Ostensibly an homage to the gangster films of the 1930s with a Film Noir spin, there are no "heroes" here, just a bunch of self-serving weasels trying to put one over on each other. This gives it the grimy undercurrent of a spaghetti western but with tommy guns instead of six shooters, with a whisky sodden hardcase stalking through the middle of it all played by Gabriel Byrne in one of his best performances. Albert Finney is also as marvellous as ever as his boss and long term comrade at arms and one of the highlights involves him pulling a Tony Montana on some unfortunate assassins. There are so many crosses, double crosses and triple crosses it'll make your head spin but it's a brilliant and stylish gangster story that stands out as one of the Coens best.
  • fb100001048934982
    March 27, 2011
    fb100001048934982
    A brilliant example of what a gangster film can be, along with classics like The Godfather. One of the most brilliant scripts the Coens have written, by far. Awesome performances by Byrn and ESPECIALLY Turturro. The only complaint could be it's pace, which can get slow. See it tw... read moreice, with caution .
  • ceWEBrity
    September 8, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    The excitement in watching a Coen Brothers film is not wondering what they're going to put their characters through - because duh - but seeing how the characters ultimately fare, and what they've learned or haven't learned by the end of the tale. In that sense, Miller's Crossing ... read moreis one of their finest movies, sporting a slate of characters that you become legitimately invested in and putting them on fast tracks to places you're not entirely sure of. No one plays their characters with unnatural intelligence, not especially Gabriel Byrne's reckless firebrand Tom. His impulsiveness stands in pleasant contradiction with the rollicking adventure the Coens have planned for him. Its strength lies in its unpredictability, which initially is a bit of a thorny patch for the movie, because the plot can be very difficult to follow. It's baffling and convoluted, a considerable aping of 40s noir, but just like its progenitors it dumps you into an intimidating amount of backstory and some already-established character relationships that can take a while to parse. It reminded me of Michael Clayton, in that you spend most of the movie catching up to what's happening, but once you finally unravel it you feel really accomplished. If there's one thing I like in a movie, it's a little bit of struggle, and the Coens are no strangers to making an audience work for their appreciation.

    The risk you always run with such a dense narrative is that your viewers, when all is said and done, probably won't remember the gist of what actually happens a month later. Plot-heavy exchanges in Miller's Crossing aren't always visually engaging, but the movie's most memorable scenes are sumptuous and unforgettable. The piece de resistance is Albert Finney's flaming mansion shootout, obviously, but there are tons of great moments sprinkled through the course of its two hours. If there's one thing you can say about this Prohibition-era opera, it's that it remains eventful, right down to the final few minutes. It's very much a movie that's less than the sum of its parts, but what great parts.
  • aliceinpunderland
    June 27, 2010
    aliceinpunderland
    Verna: Shouldn't you be doing your job?
    Tom: Intimidating helpless women is my job.
    Verna: Then go find one, and intimidate her.
  • ythelastman89
    June 12, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Gangster movies don't come any finer than this and there are very few done so well about the Irish Mob. I cannot find one aspect of the film that I don't completely love, everything is done to perfection. The Coen Brother's amazing unique style comes in to play within a very beli... read moreevable and traditional crime epic. The story works so well in telling a story about one person as well as a collective. Gabriel Byrne really does an amazing job, not many people could make this character so grounded and natural. The attention to detail and setting is flawless, this should be put up in the ranks with The Godfather, Goodfellas and Scarface.
  • sanjurosamurai
    March 20, 2010
    sanjurosamurai
    masterpiece. absolutely astounding. i just put in a third viewing of this film and it was the best viewing yet. gabriel byrne puts in an astounding performance as does finney, the story was perfect with each twist, and the themes of loyalty and morality were present to a degre... read moree rarely captured in a movie. the cohens put in their best script and directing job in this film all should see. this is the best mobster flick i have ever seen bar none.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
November 6, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Substance is here in spades, along with the twisted, brilliantly controlled style on which filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen made a name. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
November 6, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

It never fully convinces in terms of either period or plot. Full Review

Peter Travers
August 14, 2007
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The Coens' take on Depression-era gangster flicks, looks gorgeous and showcases John Turturro's best acting ever.

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Without much point at all. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Crossing is the kind of movie that benefits from a second sitting, to get a complete grip on the plot. Full Review

John Hartl
January 1, 2000
John Hartl, Film.com

While Miller's Crossing is not as messy or inspired as Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas, or as richly suggestive as The Godfather, it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

There is a lot here to admire. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

As disturbing and densely beautiful as its opening image. Full Review

Chris Barsanti
August 19, 2011
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com

...joke-heavy and bullet-riddled and studded with some of the most crackling dialogue heard since 'The Front Page.' Full Review

Richard T. Jameson
May 1, 2011
Richard T. Jameson, Parallax View

It has always been one of the special pleasures of movies that they dream worlds and map them at the same time. Miller's Crossing dreams a beaut... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Bernie Bernbaum: Look in your heart! Look in your heart!
    • Tom Reagan: What heart?
    • Leo: Oh, come on Tommie. You know I don't like to think.
    • Tom Reagan: Yeah, well think about whether you should start.
    • Verna: I don't know Leo's business but he's a big boy.
    • Tom Reagan: He used to be.
    • Tom Reagan: I wouldn't worry so much if I thought you were worrying enough.
    • Tom Reagan: If you want me to keep my mouth shut, it's gonna cost you some dough. I figure a thousand bucks is reasonable, so I want two.
    • Tom Reagan: Tell Leo he's not God on the throne, he's just a cheap political boss with more hair tonic than brains.
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Miller's Crossing Trivia

  • This Coen Brothers gangster movie starred Gabriel Byrne, John Turturro, and Albert Finney.   Answer »
  • He was in Reservior Dogs, Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Armageddon, and Monsters Inc.  Answer »
  • What movie is this from? "You came to see if I'd bite if you barked. Well, now you know. So take your flunky and dangle."  Answer »
  • What does John Tuturro ask Gabriel Byrne to do in Miller's Crossing?  Answer »
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