Went from U2 streaming live from the Rose Bowl on YouTube to a VHS of Miller’s Crossing that my sister bought at a rummage sale way back when. During a scene between Tom and Verna the movie cut to a high angled shot and the screen jumped with a fuzzy bar quickly rising across it. I sat up in my chair suddenly much more interested in what was about to happen. My mind? High tech prohibition era security cameras… busted! Reality? A fancy camera angle for the time and the VHS player was tracking. Old timey technology is fun, don’t forget to rewind!
That was the most excited I got throughout the entire film. I sat and thought throughout the 115 minutes; pretty sure that is not what one is supposed to do in a movie. The movie didn’t flow very naturally, but the life of a gangster doesn’t seem to take the most natural flowing path either. Not saying it was a bad choice, but it left me feeling a complete disconnect towards every character and their problems. There were no clear good guys to root for, a Cohen Bros trait, but there weren’t even any sympathetic characters to stand behind. The characters were interesting to watch react in situations, but as more of a psychology study then caring if they chose a safe or prospering path.
Little technical aspects got me through the movie. Turns out I really miss high key lighting, a sort of bright noir lighting theme. I have been watching too much TV and forgot how good a movie can look. The musical score was unique and brought back memories of college lectures past. The writing was up to the standard that’s come to be expected from the Cohen Bros, and that is reason enough to watch their work. Though every time they said “What’s the rumpus” I wished I was at the theater and Max was commanding “Let the wild rumpus start!” in Where the Wild Things Are (2009).
Not much has been said about the actual movie. This gangster film, like most films, had two main storylines:
- Rigging boxing matches. Yet besides being the basis of pretty much everything else that happens in the film you never see a fight. Well you never see a boxing match, there’s plenty of fighting. (The 25 second dialogue scene with a backdrop of two guys sparring in a training gym doesn’t count.)
- A kid and his dog stealing Rug’s toupee. Not really a storyline, but this throwaway joke amused me most in the b-story.
After a few years of referencing the movie in class, Miller’s Crossing was worth the watch. The movie didn’t always flow It can now be checked off the list of the Cohen Bros Canon. And there was a lesson learned: Hold onto your hat.
Spoilerish Question: Has Steve Buscemi ever lived through the entirety of a movie? Through a Cohen Bros movie?
One Response to “Miller’s Crossing (1990)”
November 1st, 2009 at 4:35 am
To answer the Buscemi question, yes, he has. Of the movies I have seen myself I can say he survived, Airheads, Con Air, and Armageddon, and those are the only ones I can think of where he played a significant role throughout the movie without dying. To answer the latter half of the question, I have no clue as to who the Cohen Bros. are, so I can’t help you there.
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