Miller's Crossing (1990)

Plot:  Based on various Hammett Novels. An advisor to a 1920's crime boss gets caught in divided loyalties
Stars: Gabriel Byrne, John Polito, John Turturro,  and Albert Finney

Best Quote: It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust? For a good return, you gotta go to bettin' on chance - and then you're back with anarchy, right back in the jungle.

The Coen Brothers are hit and miss with me.  Especially the serious ones. Miller's Crossing was a miss. It has some great scenes, some great dialog, some great acting but there was something unsatisfactory about it.  The plot is vaguely based on Hammett's "The Glass Key" and "The Red Harvest".  And that's part of the problem. Like those Hammett novels - none of the character's are likable including our "hero" - so there's no one to root for. We get betrayals and double-crosses galore, but when *everyone* is a cynic and a heel, - who cares?  The Love(?) affair is particularly dull. 

The other problem - too many character's have that Coen Brother's Cartoon quality to them.   And the silly over-the-top violence reinforces that.  I half-expected John Goodman to pop up and spout some comic lines from "Barton Fink". And the dialogue doesn't sound real - these guys are the most eloquent, witty Gangsters, ever.

Having said that, there's some great acting and set design. Props to John Polito as "Johnny Casper" and John Turturro as the slimy bookie. 

Summary:  An elegant riff on the Gangster genre, Miller's Crossing's good acting and direction can't disguise a cynical, uninvolving story that's all sizzle and no steak.