Up is down, black is white, and nothing is what it seems.|Sep. 21, 1990|USA|115 Min.|R
Genre: Crime;Drama;Thriller
Description: Miller’s Crossing is a 1990 crime drama set during the Prohibition era in an unnamed U.S. city. The story revolves around Tom Reagan, played by Gabriel Byrne, the trusted right-hand man of Irish mobster Leo O’Bannon, portrayed by Albert Finney. Leo, a political boss, faces conflict when his rival, Italian gangster Johnny Caspar, demands the right to kill Bernie Bernbaum, a bookie suspected of profiting from Caspar’s match-fixing scheme. Leo refuses, sparking a violent mob war.
Complicating matters, Leo is romantically involved with Bernie’s sister, Verna. Tom, who secretly harbors feelings for Verna, tries to convince Leo that she is manipulating him to protect her brother. When the conflict escalates with an assassination attempt on Leo, Tom reveals his affair with Verna, leading to a public confrontation and his expulsion from Leo’s inner circle.
Desperate and jobless, Tom aligns with Caspar, who tasks him with killing Bernie as a test of loyalty. Tom fakes Bernie’s execution at Miller’s Crossing, a secluded wooded area, and orders him to flee town. However, Caspar’s enforcer, Eddie Dane, grows suspicious and forces Tom to return to Miller’s Crossing to confirm Bernie’s death.
As the power struggle intensifies, Caspar ascends to control the city, leveraging his influence over the police to dismantle Leo’s operations. The tension between Tom and Eddie Dane adds another layer of danger to the escalating rivalry. The film masterfully explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and moral ambiguity against the backdrop of 1920s organized crime.
Cast director: Joel Coen
Cast actor: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Jon Polito, Marcia Gay Harden, J.E. Freeman, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Mike Starr, Al Mancini, Richard Woods
Original name: Miller’s Crossing