Miller's Crossing - Can Those Happen?

(1990) ★★★☆☆

Another Coen Brother's film. Another one of the other half—you know what I'm talking about if you've read my 'Barton Fink' review—but slightly better with a bit more exciting twists. Still it's not strong enough to stay in my mind.

Say, things happen simply because of a gun moll, Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), who shares her body with Leo (Albert Finney), the Irish gangster boss, and his confidant, Tom (Gabriel Byrne). Leo's rival, Casper (Jon Polito), wants to kill Bernie the bookie, Verna's brother. Tom says Bernie should be killed, but Leo disagrees. So what happens next is a bit like Martin Scorsese's 'The Departed', but of course to me the latter is much more gripping and manly. I guess 'Miller's Crossing' is not really a gangster movie, but a stylish noir film, with well-crafted dialogues indeed. The reason why I think it's not strong enough is the story itself, that is after all not so reasonable and convincing. You don't feel quite into it as a result.

If you're a fan of noir films, you may love it. But if you only go for serious gangster movies, this may not be the one for you.