Sharp and witty but thoughtful

tristanarnison

score 8/10

'Miller's Crossing' is a cleverly constructed and sharply written piece of work in which the dialogue plays as important a role as the action in creating the drama. It is seemingly the tale of an amoral existentialist hero, Tom Reagan, negotiating his way through a complex situation, rather in the manner of a Jean-Pierre Melville film such as 'Le Doulos' or 'Le Samourai'. However the film is deeply concerned with questions of loyalty and obligation, and Tom's final choice is actually moral one. The film is carefully shot in an autumnal palate but is staged without extravagance and makes excellent use of the interior sets and few locations. The tight structure and deliberate air of unreality, which is heightened by deft comic touches, separates this from more portentous crime dramas such as 'The Godfather' or 'Once upon a time in America', and gives 'Miller's Crossing' its own unique place in the genre.

tristanarnison 14 August 2007

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1712336/