Miller's Crossing

Miller's Crossing is just the Coen brothers' third film, but by that time they were already showing incredible maturity and skill within the medium. It's not as funny as most of their other work, but it has one of the better stories. In general, they're known for quirky films with a focus on dialogue and dark humor, but sometimes they veer farther into that dark territory, and Miller's Crossing is one of those times. It's a modern version of film noir. The dialogue, especially from the protagonist played by Gabriel Byrne, is usually pretty snappy, but making you laugh is not the general goal.

The story takes elements from other works, and is a familiar tale of the hero using his smarts to play two sides against each other instead of confronting them himself. It takes place during prohibition and the two sides are an Irish gang that's been running the city and an Italian one that wants to take over. Circumstances cause Byrne to cut ties and interact with a shady character played enjoyably by John Turturro, who's the lynchpin of the whole conflict. Byrne is very good as Tommy, as he carries the movie in almost every scene. He's not a violent guy, and in fact gets beaten up probably more than any main character I've ever seen. He uses his wits instead of brute force to make it through, and gets a little help from luck too. The plot is pretty complicated, and a bit tough to follow if you can't keep up with all the different names that the fast talking characters drop. Even if you don't get every detail though, you can still appreciate the main thrust of the story. If I hadn't seen The Ladykillers, I'd say the Coen brothers could do no wrong.