Discussing Miller's Crossing (The Coen Brothers Analysis)

Let's talk about the greatest Coen Brothers film ever made.
Plot twist: It's Miller's Crossing (1990).
God. We LOVED this film
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[@chuckschillingvideos]

It is not only the Coens' greatest film but in my opinion the greatest movie ever made.

[@steeleye2112]

I could not agree more. i always thought the best movie ever was a ridiculous concept as it depended on how you felt on any given day. That was until I saw MC one day for the third time and felt like i got it. For 25 years now I have agreed with yourself that this is the most perfect piece of movie making ever made.

[@ruly8153]

Steeleye 2112 Give me berni bern bom

[@michaelhorning6014]

Top 3 for me for sure.

[@ruly8153]

@@michaelhorning6014 I don’t get it The coen brothers are my favorite filmmakers but I never really liked this movie....

[@chuckschillingvideos]

One of the most intriguing/important aspects of the movie is that there is exactly one honest, morally consistent and trustworthy main character - who also happens to be the cruelest and most unrepentantly violent and evil character. That is, of course, Eddie the Dane. In the end, the Dane pays the ultimate price for his honest efforts to protect his boss, whereas Tom Reagan prevails because of the manipulative and twisted manner he chose to protect his. What a stupendously great film.

[@reyesplace1096]

Of course the Dane always knows about the fix...

[@chuckschillingvideos]

@@reyesplace1096 Yet never does he enrich himself with the information. His achilles heel is his love for Mink, which blinds him to the game that is being played on him.

[@ChubbyChecker182]

Most underrated movie of the 90s. Brilliant movie in every aspect.

[@yourcultboyfriend]

I totally agree

[@jimiewilliams7623]

I was there and the critics were raving. It's not underrated, it's just buried beneath their many brilliant films, but when it came out, people were stunned.

[@robzilla730]

@@jimiewilliams7623 I don't remember this movie coming out in the theatre but I remember VHS. Watched it a shit ton of times

[@crobarus]

At the end Leo walking away is Tom's hat dream. "only a fool chases after his hat" . Tom did everything he did to save Leo from himself. To save Leo from being ruined by Verna. Tom loves two people Leo first and Verna 2nd. He sacrifices everything and almost gets killed for both of them. In the end he realizes he can't help either one of them. Everybody seems to miss this . To me this is the Coen's best movie. Easy

[@kevinlaw6185]

I enjoyed your comment, but wanted to add one thing. I've seen talk online over the years about what is the significance of hats in this movie, and I think it's simply this: Hats represent life in Miller's Crossing. Verna wins Tom's hat, because Verna has taken over Tom's life. His feelings for her change the course of his life in every possible way. When he talks about his dream, and his hat blowing away, and him not chasing it because nothing is more foolish than a man chasing his hat, he's foreshadowing the remainder of the movie. The life he's had is getting away from him, but he refuses to do anything to try to stop that from happening, out of pride. He thinks it would make him foolish to even try to hang onto the life that he's losing. When Eddie Dane is about to execute Tom, the first thing he does is take off Tom's hat and toss it aside. When Johnny Casper's thug finds Mink's body, he's not wearing a hat. When Tom engineers Johnny Casper's murder by Bernie Bernbaum, as Tom walks into his apartment building, the first thing he sees is Johnny's hat on the stairs. When Tom brought Bernie into the woods earlier in the movie to execute him, Bernie wasn't wearing a hat. But when Bernie shows up at Tom's apartment to blackmail him, if I remember right, as he's leaving Bernie puts his hat on with a bit of a flourish. Bernie believes he's gotten his life back because he has blackmail material on Tom. And blackmail was Bernie's life - it's how he made a living. When Tom finally kills Bernie, Bernie is once again hatless. In the final shot of the movie, Tom pulling his hat down over his eyes indicates him hiding his life from everyone else, which is what he's done the entire movie. Nobody - Verna, Leo, Johnny Casper, Eddie Dane, Bernie - ever knew what Tom was really up to. Hiding his plans and motivations from others is a way of life. And a way of staying alive. This is alluded to in two ways. First, when Johnny Casper talks about how he wants everybody to be aboveboard with everybody else: "But I figure a deal's a deal. You're square with me, you bump the shmatte, I'll hold up my end. Question of ethics. Everything above board, that's how I like it, so everybody knows who's a friend and who's an enemy." Which is a fairly naive attitude for a gangster. And trusting Tom gets Johnny killed. Just as trusting Tom gets Bernie killed. And, second and more significantly, when Tom says - more than once I think - "Nobody knows anybody. Not that well." Anyhow, that's my theory.

[@kevinlaw6185]

Btw, I read some of the comments, and made my own comment above, before actually watching this video. I REALLY hope they don't come up with the same theory in the video, or I'll look like a total asshole. Fingers crossed.

[@asmrdadbod2483]

There is a priceless very short scene, not majorly thematic or all that important, but nonetheless subtle and amazing. A dying man in the alley (who we can infer is Rug Daniels" sits, while he is discovered by a young boy and his dog. The boy is curious, and for some reason, takes the toupee from "Rug" Daniels's head. The dog barks raucously and the boy and the dog scurry away and end scene. I just think that is an amazing little piece of cinema, a priceless slice of life, and death, beautifully captured. Johnny Casper later puzzles over how "Rug" lost his Hairpiece, and why presumably the killers would take it. We of course know that the boy took it, for kicks, and no reason in particular.

[@reyesplace1096]

Yes, great scene. The movie is a collection of great scenes...

[@MarkChapeau]

The score is incredible

[@BlueMHart]

Only a few minutes into this analysis, and I feel the need to stick up for the one element you didn't care for- the score! Carter Burwell, the film's composer, writes about his experience scoring different films on his website, and when it came to Miller's Crossing, he had this to say: "I wanted to suggest with the music that [Tom's] actual motivation was his love for [Albert] Finney['s character, Leo], and I proposed doing this with a sappy Irish melody arranged for orchestra. When I suggested to Joel and Ethan that perhaps it wanted a 'warm' score, their reaction was 'Well, I don't know...' I asked 'You're thinking cold?' Their response was 'How about neutral?'" The melody used is a classic Irish tune called "Lament for Limerick-" from what I know of Burwell's scores, his repurposing of old folk songs and other tunes (such as the hymns in True Grit) is pretty common. I don't know if this was interesting for either of you but I thought I'd give some depth on why the score was composed in such a way (though of course I'm not saying you have to like the score lol). I've been stuck inside for the past few weeks and am unable to return the DVD of Miller's Crossing that I checked out from the library earlier. So far I've watched it three times, and I keep being struck by how perfectly it's all put together- the acting, the cinematography, the script, everything is done so well, and I'm so drawn in by it. I love that you've taken the time to do this analysis, and I promise I'll listen to the rest without getting tripped up by trivial comments made at the beginning hahaha. :D

[@patricias5122]

I agree; the score was one of the best parts of the film.

[@deepaknambisan3251]

Wonderful comment, thank you. I love the score to this magnificent movie, in my opinion, a legitimate masterpiece.

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

An absolute, stone-cold _classic._ This and Barton Fink is one of the truly great 1-2 punches in cinema history. PS I _love_ the score.

[@deanerhockings-reptilianhu8701]

Really liked your discussion - very honest and interesting. I'm a massive fan of this film - I was scratching around for something to do to fill the time and stuck Miller's Crossing on- this maybe the 10th time i've watched it and by god it is an amazing movie. There's just something about it - it's shot so well, the tone is amazing, the score is gorgeous, the characters and performances are outstanding and the script is excellent - maybe it's because I'm Irish and it feeds a delusional sense of Irish pride in me too:) Anyways - after being surprised that I ended up watching the whole film over again and wondering why the film still holds mysteries for me - I needed to check out a good solid discussion of the film right here on ThemTube. So thanks.

[@robzilla730]

Dittos. Watched it last night. Seen it more than 10 times. still. It tired of it. Still get something new out of it. Not Irish tho, Hispanic. 😉

[@danmosley4387]

Good review. As a film fanatic I view this movie as one of the 5 best in the last 60 years. It is woefully one of the most underappreciated films of all time.

[@CarolinaGirl6919]

Wrong about the score, boys. it is signature for this movie and fits, IMHO. But my favorite mob movie ever!

[@beverlykandraceffinger3764]

I very much miss the era of ArtHouse cinema...the idea that every day of the week could feature a different film of high quality. Miller's Crossing will always belong to the gathering of classic cinema from my ArtHouse time. It's a film so well crafted in every way: a perfect screenplay, brilliant acting, visually interesting and inventive sequences, great musical score. I never tire of how complex but comprehensible the story is, or how the film holds true with suspense through repeated viewings. Few things in this world could be said to be perfect, but this artwork certainly is.

[@pinballpsycho]

I loved the score.

[@agent_meister477]

Jesus Tom! (Great review guys 👍🤠)

[@arond1973]

Are you f-ing kidding me??? The score was one of the best! Btw, the obo isn’t an Irish instrument. Carter Burwell is one of the best musical score composers of all time.

[@agent_meister477]

And don't forget that version of "Danny Boy". Amazing.

[@antobears]

As an Irishman I adore the score fwiw. Tom is a brilliantly written protagonist. He detaches himself from people to see them objectively, impassively so he can better read them and predict their future behaviour. He's not a psychopath. Letting Bernie live demonstrates that. He understands and can empathize with other people extremely well. However, the depth of his understanding of the motivations of others is offset by his inability to understand his own desires/feelings. He loves Verna but just can't bring himself to show any vulnerability towards her or the outside world. So he rejects her which is tragic because she actually understands him. Leo may be a sap as he describes himself but at least he's able to pursue happiness. Is is a love story or gangster movie? Could be either or both. Absolutely love it.

[@matthewwolfe6848]

You are insane, that is one of the best scores ever.

[@KenDanieli]

Of course the script is all about everyone lying to each other and using confusing nicknames/epithets for whomever they're talking about. It takes a few viewings to decipher it all.

[@reyesplace1096]

Interesting. I hadn't thought of the subtle connection between Tom hagen and Tom Regan

[@joshuaclark1930]

"off putting" is the term you were looking for at 2:24

[@mancavetheater1240]

My favorite Coen brothers film is RASING ARIZONA(with CRIMEWAVE being a honorable mention even though they didn't direct)

[@ernestolombardo5811]

What the Coens did here that I love the most was to take the dialogue of old gangster movies of the 30s and 40s, this corny stilted way of talking - "It's coytans (curtains) for you, Rocky, coytans, ya hear me?" - and handle it like a theater play. The cartoonish old type of gangster representation had its' last gasp in 007's "Diamonds Are Forever". Just three months later "The Godfather" was released and everything that came before immediately curdled into laughable cheese. What the Coens did was take that musty old cinematic slang and sharpen it to make it timeless while still sounding of the era, even if terms like "the high hat" and "the rumpus" were made up for the movie. This is a masterstroke and more than any other of their films, "Miller's Crossing" feels like a contemporary version of Shakespeare.

[@VultRoos]

This movie has been haunting me for more than a year ever since I saw it for the first time. And for the most absurd and nonsensical reasons as well. Because the relationships are so murky that I'm not even sure Tom IS in love with Verma. There are so many little clips that muddy the waters. Did Tom only sleep with Verma to prove to Leo that she's not good for him and is a cheater and liar? In which case--Jesus that's going a little far buddy. Or is it the other way around--he's telling Leo Verma is a cheater and liar because he's in love with her and want them to separate? By a similar logic, is the other other way around--the reason he's going so out of his way to separate Verma and Leo is because he's has bee in love with Leo for decades? In which case, the whole wearing the hat thing takes a whole different context on why Tom seems so obsessed with being able to be in control of his personhood and actions. And well by going with you guys's analogy on um...'chasing after the hat'. And then what complicates everything even more is the dialogue in some parts keep on blurring Tom's sexual identity. The whole conversation the Dane has with Tom in the car. Yes contextually they're talking about Tom being straight and queer in terms of whether he's honest or not, but you can't tell me the line the Dane says to Tom: "[You're] as straight as a corkscrew" doesn't mean something. And the fact that the Dane, a gay man, is even coding the language with straight and queer as being honest or being dishonest has to say something about the world they're living in. It's almost as if if you're gay, there has to be something crooked or deceitful about you, which then continues to throw the entire character of Bernie into question. Because he IS incredibly deceitful and cruel and crooked. But that raises other questions as well--because Bernie, the Dane, and the Mink are all open-secret queers. That's also an ambiguous relationship, where they're accepted as gay but only in this purgatory state where everyone knows but no one really acknowledges it openly. But if that's the case, and if there's all this coding--is Bernie gay because he's a twisted and weird fellow, or is he a twisted and cruel person because that's what people expect him to be because he's gay? And again, this brings it back to the hat imagery and being in control, because the one person I cannot figure out, that no one can figure out, is Tom Reagan. I could argue that The Dane, the Mink, and Bernie all have zero control over how other people see them just because they all know they're gay. And Tom Reagan seems like someone who has an obsessive interest in knowing how people see each other. Is the hat he's wearing not just one of control, but also one of heterosexuality so he's never put in the degrading position Bernie is put in through the eyes of others? When there's anxiety of losing control over his own hat, is it also an anxiety over losing the power of being perceived as straight through the eyes of others? That of course, creates a whole other rabbit hole. Because that creates a whole new context on why Tom spared Bernie the first time. The whole speech Bernie gave out of desperation begging Tom to spare him: "They can't make us do this. It's a wrong situation. THEY CAN'T MAKE US DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAN WE ARE. It's my nature....we're not animals" Again, I can't help feeling like there's a doubled nature to this whole thing. Contextually, he's talking about him being the scummy guy always scrapping for info, but I don't know. There's something about Bernie that just absolutely fascinates me. Out of anyone, he's the one person who really got Tom. Not just that he's got him in a bad place later in the film. Just out of all the people, Bernie is such an interesting foil because I think he's actually the closest to seeing Tom for who he is, and same vice versa. A part of me almost feels like Tom let Bernie go not because of Verna, but maybe, just maybe. He really did see into his heart and thought he saw a truth about himself he couldn't deny, and saw a possibility--a future, where he didn't have to deny it, and could not kill Bernie because he thought he truly understood why Bernie was the way he was. And pitied him. And that just blows up in his face. And Bernie outright rejects his pity, and resents Tom for seeing him at his most vulnerable, believing that Tom is mocking him. And when Bernie begs again for him to look inside his heart near the end--there's something truly heavy about Tom's response as he kills him. I don't know. I have to be reading too much into this in the wrong direction. Because after all of that, everything can still be explained by Tom being straight and being in love with Verna. Yes Tom seemed almost happy at the very end when he was walking with Leo again, and his entire attitude changed immediately after being told Leo and Verna was getting married, but again, the simplest answer is that he still has feelings for Verna. But that doesn't explain why he was so happy to walk with Leo and didn't seem to care at all about Verna's anger towards him. But his sudden attitude change could still be him pining after Verna. It's still the most obvious answer, considering Tom's slept with her. But then. BUT THEN. This freaking movie. Just had to throw this line at me: "I don't know. Do you always know why you do things, Leo?" And when Leo said "Sure I do". Tom seemed genuinely shocked for a second, and it destroys every possible reading I have on Tom all over again, because it raises the possibility that Tom really had very little planned--that he was just figuring out everything one step at a time, and reacting much more than he was manipulating, which again. throws his whole relationship with Verna into question. The rest of the conversation in the ending is completely fascinating. You guys described it as Tom being offered everything he owned back to him, and him turning away. But if Tom metaphorically forced himself to kill the 'queer' side of himself in his heart in order to perversely and paradoxically get back together with Leo again, suddenly everything Leo says in an attempt to try to get Tom to work for him again doesn't sound like a peace-offering. It sounds like him twisting the knife in Tom. "I need you" But then right afterwards, "Things can be the way they were". But they can't because Verna stole Leo away romantically. But the fact that Leo is even saying that clearly tells Tom exactly how Leo has never seen him as anything but a confidante. And then the things he say about him and verna, about understanding, when he might literally understand absolutely nothing about Tom's motivations and how he actually feels. It all comes across as unintentionally cruel. Which makes the venom in Tom's voice when he says "I didn't ask for that, and I don't want it" make so much damn sense. He doesn't want any of the feelings Leo was offering him, because those feelings were never what he wanted. But when the camera closes up on Tom, I'm completely unsatisfied with my reading. Because I don't really know how Tom feels, and maybe in reality, he actually doesn't either. But I can't stop thinking about it. Look at how close to insanity this movie has driven me. And what kills me even more is because despite how convinced I am that I am onto something by seeing all the sexual identity as a central motif in this movie, I can't find any thing online that remotely touches upon this in any great depth. Which makes me think I AM completely off my rocker and am totally wrong. This movie is driving me nuts.

[@yourcultboyfriend]

A lot of interesting points here. Wow! I'll definitely address these in more depth after the holidays. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the movie. It is much appreciated.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

As I see it, the only person Tom loves is Leo. Tom, though he is the protagonist of a sort, is a sociopath who adroitly and without conscience manipulates those around him to obtain whatever behavior he desires from them. Time in and out, Tom's end motivation clearly is to protect Leo and he will apparently stop at nothing to achieve that.

[@steeleye2112]

As with all interpretations they are subjective and there is no reading that's more important than you're own. But as someone who has analysed and thought about this film for 30 years just in case it helps here's my reading. BTW feel free to ignore as i also hold the ridiculous opinion that this is the greatest film ever made ever. Tom loves leo and verna and is conflicted at the start of film but he is a man who believes in a moral sense. The whole movie turns after the scene when he and leo fall out and tom is speaking to verna afterwards. When she tells tom they are a couple of heels and just about bad enough to deserve each other tom is devastated at what he has become and from then on is seeking redemption for himself. To achieve this he has to ensure leo is back in power and verna is safe. This requires he loses both verna's love and leo's friendship which is why he looks so emotional at the end but he has got enough self respect back that he can live with himself again. I could write a book about why this movie is so perfect for me but I have bored enough people in my life raving about MC. Just one thing to consider, there is not one scene that doesn't either raise a plot question or answer one and every single goddamn scene is either funny, intriguing or poetically violent.

[@BlueMHart]

This is such an intriguing wall of text, and I'm so glad that you brought up your theory, since as you said "I can't find anything online that remotely touches upon this in any great depth..." and I've had the same thought too ever since watching it for a second time! Reading your thoughts feels so validating. I don't really have anything to add, just that I agree with a lot of what you mentioned.

[@ValveSpecial]

I like it. I hadn't seen the gay angle (from only one viewing) but it does make alot of sense. The best bit about it for me is that it redeems the otherwise incredibly clumsy musical motif that dominates the score - it's not about being Irish, its about being gay!

[@axxellein]

TRES Heavy!!!

[@patrickburch3723]

Ran a pole???!? The Bernie Bernbaum fan club edition.

[@MarkChapeau]

So is the film!

[@buddywilliams5650]

What heart? 🧠 🔫 boom!

[@reyesplace1096]

For a sheeny, Bernie has a lot of good qualities _ mink

[@herbertdaly5190]

2:49 Irish beer Caffery's used the music in an advert in the UK kzbin.info/www/bejne/anKplnWLf62WmNU

[@jzzft11]

How come nobody ever takes note of how liberally this film borrows plot elements from "the glass key?" Big boss making a fool of himself over a woman, and loyal right hand man trying to protect his boss from himself while attracted to the same woman himself. Not to minimize the film's originality, but there's NO WAY the Coen's didn't have some degree of homage in mind.

[@kingelvis5502]

Just watched Millers for the first time. Raising Arizona was a far more complete film albeit a comedy. Millers audio edits along with the over used catch phrases and visuals; whats the rumpus, high hat, the hat, Tutorros almost death scene, etc... were jarring, annoying and un predictable (not talking the score) which made the experience confusing. Also, the story line...was all over the place with the only reminders coming in every once in awhile from Caspars "ethics" speech. The film felt like it was ad-lib written at during each scene filmed following maybe only a loose outline? If thats not the case, then im not sure which is worse. A plus on Caspar, Mink, thte bar tender, Leo was OK, wardrobe, set, visual shots. Tom, was acted perfectly but the weak storyline behind him overshadowed the acting. In short...I'd describe Millers as a good first film attempt, or an OK departure, or an ok experimental depature from a directors usual style.

[@animula6908]

So you just did the poll to look better to youtube. Weak. I came just looking for analysis of miller’s crossing which you could have done without disrespecting your regular audience. Not staying. There’s bound to be someone not kissing KZbin’s ass that analyzed it.

[@jimiewilliams7623]

There are more than three go to Coen brother's films. Besides the ones you mention, there's Raising Arizona, Blood Simple, Barton Fink, Hudsucker Proxy, O' Brother Where Art Thou and The Man Who Wasn't There. But, I guess some need to minimize art for the masses. Stuff like saying there are three must sees. Not a bad analysis for Miller's Crossing. I've seen much worse, and I've seen better. I'll check out more of your videos, when I'm done with this one.

[@yourcultboyfriend]

Those are definitely not all essential movies unless you're a big fan of the Coens. It's not about "minimizing art", it's about placing Miller's Crossing within the context of their signature films. I appreciate that you didn't hate the video. I personally criticize myself for not bringing up absurdism once through the entire thing. I really hope you find more value in some of my other videos but I (sadly?) haven't covered the Coens very much. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the video. What film by them do you think would make for an interesting discussion too? I'd like to talk about one of their films again but I'm torn on which one to choose. Like you implied, there's a lot of great analyses out there already. Is there one specific film by them that you feel has been sorely undervalued? Just to clarify, I like most of the films you listed, I just disagree. :)

[@jimiewilliams7623]

@@yourcultboyfriend I've lived in Los Angeles, and I've written a few screenplays and released one movie. From this side of things, it's not as simple as having a go to. Art is subjective. I love their films and believe that many are just being buried by the brilliance of others. Not because they are better, but because there are just so many. I just wanted to mention those films. I didn't think you guys really ignored them. I only thought you were falling into that marketing trap of "go to" movies. My bad, if I'm off. Still, I like seeing anyone discussing film. Especially the lost gems, like Miller's Crossing. Like, I said, it was a good analysis, and I'm now subscribed, so keep on rocking.

[@yourcultboyfriend]

I don't think you're really "off", I can come across as flippant occasionally and I apologize for sounding like I was belittling their greater catalogue of films. I agree that art is subjective and nothing is quite as simple as blank-stating value, I'm usually more conscious of my language in these videos, I just don't want you to have the wrong impression of my channel. I'm very happy you subscribed and I'm gonna keep on rocking until I put out a discussion that you can really dig. That's a new goal. Haha.