Miller's Crossing (1990)
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A high-stakes power struggle between rival gangs in 1929 unfolds as a cunning man plays both sides against each other.
The story
In 1929, Tom Reagan serves as the right-hand man for Irish mobster Leo O'Bannon, a powerful figure in a city during Prohibition. Conflict arises when Leo extends protection to his girlfriend Verna's brother, Bernie Bernbaum, who is skimming profits from the rival Italian mafioso Johnny Caspar. This decision ignites a mob war. Caught in the middle, Tom must navigate the escalating tensions between the two factions. As the situation becomes increasingly dangerous, Tom attempts to manipulate the circumstances to his advantage, navigating a complex web of loyalties and betrayals while trying to survive the escalating violence of the underworld.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1929, Tom Reagan is the right-hand man for Irish mobster Leo O'Bannon. When Leo protects Verna's brother, Bernie Bernbaum, from the rival Italian mafioso Johnny Caspar, a war begins. Tom, who is secretly involved with Verna, eventually convinces Leo to abandon Bernie, leading to Leo's public disavowal of Tom. Tom then aligns with Caspar, who tasks him with 'killing' Bernie. Tom fakes the death, but later, a body is found at Miller's Crossing that is actually the body of the Dane's lover, Mink. This leads to a series of maneuvers where Tom uses the ambiguity of the body to sow discord between Caspar and his enforcer, the Dane. Caspar eventually executes the Dane. Later, Tom engineers a meeting between Bernie and Caspar; Bernie kills Caspar, and Tom subsequently kills Bernie. In the aftermath, Leo regains control of the city, and Tom is offered his old position but chooses to walk away.
- First release year
- 1990
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joel Coen
- Writers
- Joel Coen · writer; Ethan Coen · writer
- Cast and characters
- Gabriel Byrne · Tom Reagan; Marcia Gay Harden · Verna; John Turturro · Bernie Bernbaum; Jon Polito · Johnny Caspar; J. E. Freeman · the Dane; Albert Finney · Leo O'Bannon
- Genres
- neo-noir; gangster
- Themes
- control; dignity
- Tone and mood
- noir
- Setting
- An unnamed U.S. city during Prohibition in 1929.
- Premise and plot tags
- gangster; noir; prohibition
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key and Red Harvest
- Content notes
- LGBTQ-related
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 71; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled The Bighead.; The score's main theme is based on the Irish folk ballad 'Lament for Limerick'.; The Sopranos paid homage to the film in the 'Pine Barrens' episode.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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