![]() #OVERLORD RAISING HELL MOLDS MOVIE#It's the third big great movie from the Coen brothers and they show a real mastery of the cinematic arts. Tom goes to work for Caspar and he's commanded to execute Bernie in the woods at Miller's Crossing. Leo kicks Tom out when he reveals his affair with Verna. Tom tries to get Leo to give up Bernie but he's Verna's brother and Leo refuses. Italian rival Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) wants to kill bookie Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) who's been taking advantage of him. Only Leo doesn't know that Verna is also sleeping with Tom. Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) has the boss wrapped around her little finger. Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) is his right hand man. Leo O'Bannon (Albert Finney) is an Irish mob boss who controls the city. This movie is splendid, magnificent, unique, don't miss it. To summarize, in "Miller's Crossing" fun, drama, action, suspense, mystery are masterly blended with deeper themes such as love, friendship and human loneliness. Turturro is a bit histrionic for my taste, but this is his style of acting, suited for the role of the crook, mean and coward, but cunning and dangerous as a snake. A special mention for the scaring gangster Eddie Dane - J.E. The whole cast is fantastic: Finney, Turturro, Marcia Gay Hayden, Polito, Freeman and all the other excellent supporting actors. Also the other characters are shaped with outstanding intelligence and care, from the main ones (Bernie, his sister, the Italian boss, his right-hand Dane) to the last of the thugs. Speaking of brutal force, he will show in a gun-fight that he's still the number one, in spite of years passing (incidentally: this is one of the best action scenes I've ever seen). The aged Irish boss O' Bannion - Albert Finney is the opposite of Reagan: naive, sometimes dumb, with a strong love and childish attachment for his girl-friend, he is confident only in his own charisma and in brutal force. With this sober, brilliant, subtle performance, worth of a Bogart in great shape, Byrne just shows that he is the best actor in the world (my opinion, of course). And then, with all his smartness, he strangely chooses to destroy himself with alcohol and gambling. Despite his skills, he is not ambitious, he prefer to be subject to a big-shot. A systematic liar, but capable of generosity. A gangster who tries to use intelligence instead of violence (with alternate success), following a peculiar moral code. Tom Reagan, played by Gabriel Byrne, is one of the most memorable characters I have seen on the screen. The finale is perfect and splendidly crowns the movie. The action scenes are superbly filmed: violence explodes suddenly and unexpectedly. The photography is magnificent and very original. #OVERLORD RAISING HELL MOLDS FULL#The script is sharp, cynical, sarcastic, full of memorable lines and of black sense of humor, with many delightful subtleties: the celebrated Coens' wit at its best. There are no flaws in the development of the plot, despite its complications (a homage to the intricate classic film-noirs of the Golden Age). The story is extremely interesting, exciting, entertaining. But Tom Reagan, the old mate and factotum of O' Bannion, has different plans. The crook's affectionate sister Verna is the mistress of Leo O' Bannion, the boss of the Irish gang, who consequently opposes to have him killed by the Italians. The plot deals with the war between Irish and Italian gangsters, caused by the Jewish crook Bernie (the Coens like to joke with the rivalry of different ethnic groups). The huge Coens' talent being now fully recognized, I hope that this masterpiece will get the credit it deserves. In my opinion, "Miller's crossing" is by far the top work of the Coen brothers, and one of the best movies in the history of cinema. ![]()
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