In the Coen brothers' canon, Fargo is their most celebrated film, The Hudsucker Proxy, their most dismissed, and The Big Lebowski their most misunderstood. But Miller's Crossing, a meticulously recreated Prohibition-era gangster drama is the one most worthy of rediscovery. Unlike Robert Altman, whose '70s classics subverted genre conventions, the Coens seem to be paying respectful homage in this ensemble piece featuring a rogue's gallery of gangsters and trampy "twists" that would be the envy of any 1930s Warner Bros. melodrama. Gabriel Byrne stars as Tom Reagan, trusted lieutenant to Irish mob boss Leo (Albert Finney). Jon Polito costars as Johnny Caspar, Leo's rival, who lectures him about "e'tics." John Turturro steals the film as Bernie, a most une'tical bookie who is alive only because he is the brother of Leo's girlfriend (Marcia Gay Harden), who becomes Tom's lover as well. Not for movie buffs only, this film is brimming with verbal and visual delights, including such signature Coen set pieces as an attempted hit on Leo scored to the strains of "Danny Boy," and the haunting image of an elusive hat dancing on the wind. Speaking of elusive, the Coen brothers are missing in action on this reasonably sharp looking disc. In the absence of commentary, there is an entertaining 15-minute interview segment with cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld (who reveals that his road to the Coens began with shooting porn), as well as some 1990 interview clips with Byrne, Gay Harden, and Turturro. Thanks to DVD, it is now Miller's time. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)
[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 14, 2022—Criterion, 113 min., R, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, Miller’s Crossing (1990) features a fine 2K digital restoration and extras including a new conversation between author Megan Abbott and the Coens about film noir and hard-boiled crime fiction; interviews with Sonnenfeld, composer Carter Burwell, music editor Todd Kasow, production designer Dennis Gassner, and actors Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, and John Turturro; and a leaflet with an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny. Bottom line: the Coen brothers’ classic gangster drama looks sharp thanks to the red carpet Criterion treatment.]