Miller's Crossing

evinsky

evinsky

Well-known member
Did any of you watch it?
What did you like?
What did you not?

Personally I think It's one of the best written movies of the last twenty years. Especially the dialog. And definately my favorite Cohen bros. movie.
The scene where Albert Finney foils the hit and takes out those guys with the Tommy gun.... It gives me chills It's so cool.

So...
 
Miller's Crossing is a great film and is one my favs. Just rewatched it for the umpteenth time. I also love the language. The coen bros must have studied every 1020'-1940's crime movie and pulp novel made.

But my favorite thing about the movie is it's economy of stucture and story. There is no fat at all in this flick. Every shot leads to the next and then the next. Every scene has a purpose that leads to the next.

It is also a good study in the economy of filmmaking. Remember, the Coen's made this flick on a realatively low budget. Looking at the film you see that you only see what you need to see. You know that they only built (or reworked) exactly what they need. There is probably a glass tower building right across the street from the "Barton Arms" (Tommy's apartment)!

And I think that Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) is a babe...
 
I had a conversation with someone who is pretty well versed about both the Coens and American Slang. He told me that some of the slang terms used in the film were made up by the Coens. I didn't ask specifically (when we had this conversation I had yet to see the film), but the term "dangle" seemed a little forced and out of place. Anyone else hear this?
 
Don't think so but it makes no difference. I watched the original Howard Hawks Scarface and quite a lot of those terms are used in that movie. It stands on it's own.
 
The Coens probably did both, researched old movies and made stuff up. I didn't have a problem with "dangle", it was, "what's the rumpus?" that shook me first, then I heard it in an old movie, years later. Don't ask me which movie... ("If I knew there was a test I would have brought a #2 pencil!!!").

I have been very surprised at some of the critical response to the film. A lot of the critics had a problem with the language. I think that even Roger Ebert said that, "People don't talk that way...". What a shame, the whole film is a created universe, the language just gives a voice to that universe, in a very poetic fashion.
 
My parents used to say "What's the rumpus!" whenever we were making too much noise (which was often). They're Brits (but raised in Canada).
 
"Miller's Crossing" is actually not 'borrowing' from old movies as much as it is from old pulp fiction. If anyone is interested, you should go back and read 'the glass key' (dashiell hammet) and 'Love's Lovely Counterfeit' (James M. Cain). Miller's Crossing is VERY much a combination of those two books, not just the storylines, but the dialogue too. In fact, entire lines and exchanges are taken from them at times....
"what's the rumpus" came from Hammet, and I believe "dangle" came from Cain.

The Coens are big fans of both of those authors, and in interviews they've sited both of them as serious influences on Miller's Crossing.

as a side note, they also said 'Blood Simple' was their "James M. Cain" movie.
 
The scene where the hat is wind blown/dancing through the forest ?



Magic.




I also own the soundtrack. It's a great example of amplifying theme and counterpoint.
 
Best scene is the mob descending on Albert Finney's house and the way that all turns out. Danny Boy never sounded better and tommy guns never looked so good.

Glad to see some others have (finally) seen it!

e
 
I haven't seen it in a couple years and popped it in last night...
Very Coen in that it had a feeling that they stuck to for the whole film - they really envelope their viewers.
And the way they tie in humor. It's a sweet balance.
I personally was a big fan of Tom's motives...
And the way in which I felt it paid it's respect to Yojimbo (which was amazing)...
But overall brilliant, though I don't know if i'd consider it top 10.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top