Miller's Crossing (1990)

Tom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.

Directors:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)

Writers:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Stars:

Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, John Turturro

4 wins & 16 nominations.

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
Tom Toner	...	O'Doole (as Thomas Toner)
Steve Buscemi	...	Mink
Mario Todisco	...	Clarence "Drop" Johnson
Olek Krupa	...	Tad
Michael Jeter	...	Adolph
Lanny Flaherty	...	Terry

Storyline

Tom Reagan (played by Gabriel Byrne) is the right-hand man, and chief adviser, to a mob boss, Leo (Albert Finney). Trouble is brewing between Leo and another mob boss, Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito), over the activities of a bookie, Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) and Leo and Tom are at odds on how to deal with it. Meanwhile, Tom is in a secret relationship with Leo's girlfriend, Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), who happens to be the sister of Bernie. In trying to resolve the issue, Tom is cast out from Leo's camp and ultimately finds himself stuck in the middle between several deadly, unforgiving parties.

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Plot Keywords:

irish mob | loyalty | organized crime | betrayal | character's point of view camera shot | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jon Polito was originally offered the role of Eddie Dane but he campaigned for the part of Johnny Caspar.

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Goofs

After Tom loses his hat to Verna, he goes to her apartment and spends the night (Apartment #3). Yet, the next morning in the very next scene they are both at Tom's apartment, a different building, the Barton Arms, the same morning that Leo dropped by.

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Quotes

Leo O'Bannion: Seein' you mope around here ruins my, whaddya call it, "joy de veever"?
Tom Reagan: "Joie de vivre".

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits list production companies, the title, and the main cast. The crew is not listed until the ending credits, starting with a director credit.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Underrated Films of All Time (2016)

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Soundtracks

Runnin' Wild
Lyrics by Joe Grey and Leo Wood
Music by A.H. Gibbs (as A. Harrington Gibbs)
Courtesy of EMI Feist Catalogue, Inc., Cromwell Music, Inc. and Redwood Music, Ltd.

User Reviews

Decent

So I actually expected more. No, it's not a bad film by any means, and it has some fine, fine performances, but it left me feeling cold by the end. The skills shown here are undeniable, the staging and plotting, but somehow the film ends up feeling just a little but boring at times. What caused this, I'm not totally sure, and I really can't fault the film too much. It sounds like I didn't like it, but I did. It's a decent enough film, Turturro is pretty amazing and pretty much the MVP of the film. Still, I sort of expected more and as it stands, it's probably my least favorite films of the Coens (although I still have a lot to see from them).

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian Irish Yiddish

Release Date:

5 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Miller's Crossing

Filming Locations:

Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,202, 23 September 1990

Gross USA:

$5,080,409

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,080,409

Company Credits

Production Co:

Circle Films, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1