Miller's Crossing

 1/4

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, Albert Finney, Jon Turturro, J. E. Freeman

Rated R (probable for Graphic Violence and Language)

The Coen Brothers have long since achieved the kind of reputation that merely their names on the poster is reason enough to see the movie.  They're not conventional filmmakers nor do they shy away from taking chances.  But it's a pretty safe bet that when they come out with a new movie, it's gonna be great.

Not always though.  Like every filmmaker not named Christopher Nolan, they have their misses.  I wasn't especially enthused with their remake of "True Grit," and I really didn't like "Burn After Reading."  Add "Miller's Crossing" to their list of failures.  This movie has the ambition to be a sprawling gangster epic that Hollywood used to make (before everyone sold their soul to Marvel and "Star Wars").  In reality this is a talky melodrama that starts spinning it wheels during the first reel and never does much of anything else.

Tom Reagan (Byrne) is the right hand man of Leo (Finney), a local mob boss.  Tom's practical nature saves Leo from his worst impulses, but his powers of persuasion have finally fallen on deaf ears.  Leo is in love with Verna (Harden), a con artist with a scummy brother named Bernie (Turturro) she'll do anything to protect.  Leo's rival, a hothead named Johnny Caspar (Polito) wants Leo to hand over Bernie due to his interruptions with his business.  Leo refuses out of his love for Verna, but Tom advises against this because protecting Bernie could lead to open war.  Push comes to shove and Leo gets rid of his once-trusted advisor.  Tom then goes to Johnny Caspar and offers his services.  But is Tom really switching sides, or does he have an ulterior motive?

The Coen clearly want this film to be in the most of all the classic gangster sagas like "Once Upon a Time in America" or "Road to Perdition."  In fact, the opening scene is so reminiscent of "The Godfather" that it cannot have been a coincidence.  They have the right materials: nostalgia-tinged cinematography (by Barry Sonnenfeld and not Roger Deakins), a sweeping musical score by Carter Burwell, and of course Model Ts and tommy guns.

What they don't have is a good screenplay.  Rather than telling the story through expressive action and behavior, they do so through dialogue.  Overly wordy dialogue that makes one wonder if the film would have worked better on stage.  Initially, the scheming and double-crossing is entertaining, but it quickly becomes clear that the story really isn't going anywhere.  There's no sense of forward momentum, and as a result, the dramatic tension quickly dissipates.

If there's one reason why this film isn't even more of a trial than it already is, it's Gabriel Byrne.  He's always been a good actor, but he's never equaled to what he has accomplished here.  Tom Reagan knows all the angles, he's always thinking two steps ahead, and more importantly, he knows how to manipulate others into doing his bidding.  He is able to play people off each other to suit his own ends, whether that's to protect his friends or to simply stay alive.

The supporting cast is solid.  Albert Finney is reliable as ever, playing a mob boss who isn't nearly as savvy as he believes himself to be.  Marcia Gay Harden is miscast, however, as Verna.  Harden is a gifted actress, but she's not the best choice to play a femme fatale.  Jon Polito is fine as the obnoxious Caspar.  And John Turturro (who never gets enough credit for his talents) is perfectly oily.  J. E. Freeman radiates malice as Caspar's number two man.

Ultimately, such laudable qualities can't make for the fact that this movie is a bore.  I hate to sound like an ADD-inflicted MCU fan, but there is just not enough action or drama in this movie.  And that's the bottom line.