Miller's Crossing (1990)

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers:

Joel Coen (written by) and
Ethan Coen (written by)

Release Date:

October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

What's the rumpus?

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.

Plot Keywords:

Prohibition | Police | Loyalty | Irish Mob | Gangster

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Irish Gaelic | Yiddish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

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:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Circle Films

Trivia:

Cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld told the Coen brothers that the forest scenes should be shot during overcast days only. The brothers did not want to delay the filming based on the weather, but as luck would have it, on all but one of the scheduled days, it was overcast anyway. Sonnenfeld further muted the colors by using Fuji film instead of Kodak for the forest scenes. In one scene, when the Dane, Tom, Frankie and Tic-Tac are in the woods at Miller's Crossing, some sunlight can be seen faintly and out of focus in the background.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tom throws the glass at the mirror in the woman's washroom, the cracks in the glass change between shots.

Quotes:

Eddie Dane: I am gonna send you to a deep, dark place and I am gonna have fun doing it!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lies & Illusions (2009)

Soundtrack:

Runnin' Wild

A Must-See For Any Lover of The Cinema

There are very few films that engulf the viewer and demand them to give their full attention. This is one of those rarities. While viewing this film one finds themselves sharing the same space and breathing the same air that the characters do. It's beautiful. It's the stuff of great story-telling.

I must admit, I am a great fan of Gabriel Byrne in anything, no matter what it is, so maybe I'm jaded. And as I have seen practically everything with him in it, I must say it is refreshing to see him work with an amazing cast and script to back up his talent.

And the music is terrific. How ironic to have "Danny Boy"-a sentimental grandparents' favorite- playing while machine guns are ripping apart mens' flesh. The cinematography is superb also. Not only do the characters speak in a language rich with visuals, they live in a moving painting.

This was one of those films where I watched all the way through the credits slack-jawed and was sad to see the film end. It's that good. I'm not especially a fan of gangster films but I am willing to make exceptions and Miller's Crossing is one of them.