Miller's Crossing (1990) First Time Watching! Movie Reaction!

Miller's Crossing (1990)
Nobody knows anybody. Not that well.
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00:00 Intro
01:56 Reaction
36:13 Outro & Discussion
46:44 THANK YOU!
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This video is for commentary and criticism only and is not a replacement for watching Miller's Crossing
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective owners.
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[@melijahcopeland4101]

This is one of the unsung gangster films. Damn near a masterpiece.

[@reservoirdude92]

I've said it a million times, but I'll say it again: the Coens can write ANY kind of film. They're almost supernaturally talented.

[@NeilLewis77]

@@reservoirdude92 their greatest strength is their originality. you just dont know whats going to happen. you can be half way through a coen brothers movie and still not know where the story will end up. you can be 5 minutes into most movies and know exactly whats going to happen. "The ballad of buster scruggs" is the most entertained ive been by a movie in years. I just had no idea what the next scene would bring. Love the coens so much.

[@reservoirdude92]

​@@NeilLewis77as an aspiring screenwriter, that's what I envy about these guys! You have to have a very particular kind of mind to come up with the stories and scenarios that Joel and Ethan do. I have no idea how they come up with this stuff, but they DO, and it's absolutely remarkable and inspiring to see that people can take genre trappings and use them to think outside the box and make something entirely unique ❤

[@CharifRocka]

Criminally underrated.

[@travisbickle1552]

This is my favorite gangster movie and that scene when Leo get’s ambushed is one of my favorite scenes in a gangster film. I was 15 and working at a movie theatre when this came out. It played in our theatre but i never watched because it didn’t seem interesting. It wasn’t until i was an adult. Probably for the better, because i don’t think i would have understood its greatness at the time.

[@ATC43]

This movie is so underrated. It has some of my favorite writing and dialogue in a movie ever. The slang that everyone uses feels so true to life and natural.

[@cdlehner511]

Astute! Agreed!!

[@davidmarquardt9034]

"Hey Tom you know the Mayor"---"I should, I voted for him 4 times in the last election; and that ain't the record!" and "I know all the angles."

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

Overlooked, NOT underrated. It has a 93% from critics and a 90% from audiences. Those ratings are extremely high.

[@alemmingsdeath]

The Coen brothers are masters of vernacular.

[@rickcosman9670]

It’s so neat that THE Most Honest character in this movie is Casper. He never stabs anyone in the back. He is also the only family man in the story.

[@madmark1957]

Pity he is s psychopath.

[@rickcosman9670]

@@madmark1957 yeah. It’s an interesting character development we’re meant to like Tom and Leo but they are extremely flawed. He’s f&cking Leo’s girl, he’s addicted to gambling,he starts stabbing Casper in the back as soon as he joins him. Leo is the Boss and as such should be maintaining the rules of the Mob. But when Casper tells him about Bernie breaking the rules instead of disciplining Bernie he tells Casper to F&ck off ( one rule for you and another rule for my girlfriend’s brother) The sad state of affairs is that if Tom had legitimately gone over to Casper’s organization he probably would have been happier than when he was with Leo. Casper was about rules, know the rules of your society and follow the rules of your society. With Casper you knew where you stood. Casper also respected and listened to Tom, befriended him over The Dane (his behest mistake) All in all, the person in the story that we like the least is the the best human being in the story.

[@steeleye2112]

That's right, his only fault is that he wants everyone to play by the rules in a world where there aren't any. Casper is also one of the greatest performances in one of the greatest films.

[@madmark1957]

@@rickcosman9670 To be fair while there have been a few comments about gambling, this was a very common thing in organised crime, and probably still is.

[@rickcosman9670]

@@madmark1957 this is what is great about this story. All the characters are flawed to some degree. Yes Leo’s gang (including Tom) is involved in gambling. So Tom should not be into bookies like he is. I noticed that him being late paying the bookie did not escalate to a beating until after he fell out with Leo. So he was using Leo to protect himself from the consequences of his gambling. Like everybody else in this story Tom uses people. These are not nice people. The challenge the writers had was to make us like Tom and Leo and dislike Casper even though they are all equally bad and Tom is arguably the worst. Even the scene where Casper slaps his son, which is in the story to shock us and reinforce our negative feelings about Casper, is really revealing. Slapping a child with the open hand was not considered a bad thing in the 1920’s when the story is set. But Casper takes it to a different level that a lot of fathers of the time would not. He tells his son after pointing to Tom “take a page out of this man’s book, listen more, talk less.” Then he comforts the boy and kisses it better. Again a lot of fathers would not have done that. So in that scene Casper corrects his son in a fashion that would have been acceptable for his time and he reconfirms his respect and admiration for Tom who is currently working on a plan that will end up using Bernie to kill Casper for him. So again Tom is two faced and uses everybody whether he likes them or not. Casper is straight with everyone so you know if he is for you or against you and Casper tries to follow a set of rules. In the end we like Tom and dislike Casper. GREAT STORY TELLING.

[@mmclaurin8035]

I was a kid when they shot this movie in my hometown. The guy who playes the cop that picked Tom up off the floor in the beginning is a local actor who's been in a BUNCH of movies in tiny roles. The shootout could be heard from across town. It was LOUD, but we all had warning. I also have family that lives on the street Leo is on when he goes after the car with that Tommy gun.

[@tetleyT]

Cool!

[@bluegypsy71]

Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney are LEGENDS❤😍

[@youceftobi8336]

Damn right

[@sonnercampbell1702]

27:39 That’s Sam Raimi; director of The Evil Dead trilogy, the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies. And longtime friend of the Coen Bros

[@annefrankenberry7914]

His death scene was super cartoony and super bloody. Just Sam's style. They had fun with it. One of the Coen's was an editor on the first Evil Dead too, from what I recall. And Bruce Campbell is in The Hudsucker Proxy.

[@AutoPilate]

He and Joel Coen had a nice little cameo together in Spies Like Us, at the drive-in.

[@sandras.6932]

You should watch Barton Fink next. The Coen brothers actually suffered from writer's block with this one and ended putting it aside. They then wrote Barton Fink, which is about writers block. After finishing writing and filming Miller's Crossing, they went back and started filming Barton. I believe this is the only time they filmed two movies back to back.

[@michaelbuhl4250]

I just noticed while watching this reaction video that Tom's apartment was Barton Arms. Also, I think the Coens wrote the screenplays for No Country for Old Men and Burn After Reading at the same time, although, they didn't film them at the same time.

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

@@michaelbuhl4250 There's an obscure Hitchcock film from 1932 Called Number 17, which begins with a character named Barton chasing his hat in the wind...I have to wonder if they saw it.

[@chadwickvon8019]

The intro was hilarious 😂

[@reservoirdude92]

Yeah TBR better update his software QUICK 😂

[@bradvasoli4244]

Thanks for doing this one! Easily the most underrated Coen Bros. movie and, I would argue, the best.

[@wreckingKREW1]

No argument from me. One of my top 5 favorite movies of all-time.

[@FabsOrtega-mn8mg]

Yup

[@LaCheeserie]

Definitely severely underrated. I still have Fargo ahead, but this is great

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

@@LaCheeserie Overlooked, NOT underrated. It has a 93% from critics and a 90% from audiences. Those ratings are extremely high.

[@LaCheeserie]

@@Corn_Pone_Flicks Good point

[@user-bp6dq1hc6z]

A masterpiece that takes a couple of views to fully appreciate. Beautifully written.

[@KevMcKean]

Very true, gets better with every viewing.

[@tomfrankiewicz4030]

"What's the Rumpus"? This movie is one of my all time favorite movies. Betrayal and double crosses

[@HappyHarryHardon]

Jesus Tom!

[@tomfrankiewicz4030]

@@HappyHarryHardon And don't be giving me the high hat!!!

[@a1superfantastic]

This was Marcia Gay Harden's screen debut -wow. And speaking of Easter eggs, who noticed Albert FInney (Leo) doing a quick cameo as the matron of the ladies room at Leo's club when Tom walks in to talk to Verna?

[@lanolinlight]

This movie perfectly stylizes, lampoons and pays homage to gangster films of the 1930's and classic film noir of the '40s and '50s.

[@Theomite]

Even though it takes place during the 20s.

[@shainewhite2781]

12:30, this scene is 100% badass! He fired 1,000 rounds out of the tommy gun without reloading.

[@tristanjones7682]

More or less did the john woo thing where in his films the characters would have shootouts but you never see them reload much because john thought reloading slowed down the pace of the scene so there would probably be one or two times where you would see the characters reload in the entire movie!

[@jnagarya519]

He loaded during the cuts between scenes.

[@paulieluppino1856]

0:15 ...."This is my wiffffe...Samantha?"....🤣🤣

[@andrewreisinger6860]

The "hat" motif is great. Tom loses his hat gambling. Casper says "you're giving me the HI-HAT" more than once (disrespect). Hats are everywhere in this film!

[@carlomercorio1250]

Part of what makes this film so good is that it's a damn good gangster movie in its own right while simultaneously being a superb pastiche of a gangster flick.

[@zmani4379]

Well put

[@davidn5269]

I think this movie benefits a lot from rewatching

[@gggooding]

If anyone cares: the script is directly based off of 2 Dasiell Hammett novels mashed together. The Glass Key and Red Harvest. The 1942 film of The Glass Key is quite excellent.

[@Hexon66]

The Glass Key is probably the most cohesive of the Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd films, as This Gun for Hire and The Blue Dahlia have some glaring issues. It's very good, but still I find the other, more flawed, films oddly more entertaining.

[@mattmorss814]

Yes! The Red Harvest connection would make Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars great follow ups.

[@CraigMurraysVids]

And Red Harvest coined the phrase "Blood Simple". The Coens are definitely fans. Brilliant books. Hammett was a genius at pulp fiction.

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

The 1942 Glass Key was made just seven years after a previous adaptation in '35. And people think remakes are out out of control NOW.

[@gggooding]

@@Corn_Pone_Flicks I've always been curious about the earlier one. Any good? I never bothered because no Veronica Lake, so...

[@KC1976fromDetroit]

Look in your heart... ...what heart. BANG!

[@aBoyHasNoName87]

Wait, you can't do that! I almost raised my hand and said "hello" too early ... and then too late :o

[@FabsOrtega-mn8mg]

My all time favorite film. All time no hesitation in saying so. I love this film. Thanks.

[@ZerofeverOfficial]

John Tuturo out in the woods really affected me as a kid, my first real appreciation for acting when i was young.

[@cdlehner511]

Sure; that’s the kind of scene-chewing that grabs your attention. But IMO…his best acting, is in the chair of Tom’s apartment (x2)

[@BobSmith-vo9hv]

Hit me like a truck when I first saw the movie on VHS tape in 1998/9 or so when I was a student. I was, erm, herbally enhanced at the time, did an emotional number on me. Also, for some months afterwards, I'd greet everyone I met with "how are the cats in 'jamas?" .

[@mondegreen9709]

The 'Dane' character is actually called 'The Dane,' because he's Danish. It was originally called 'The Swede' and the Coens wanted Peter Stormare to play him, but I think he wasn't available or something, and so they changed it.

[@reservoirdude92]

The Coens can write literally ANY kind of film, and quite spectacularly so. Their writing talent spans throughout so many genres, so many kinds of characters, that it's almost like they've lived the lives of every character and story they write about. Also, one of my favorite Coen-isms is that there's almost always a mishap with a gun (in O Brother when the police truck is set on fire and the machine gun inside starts randomly going off, in Lebowski when the Uzi goes off in circles when The Dude and Walter make the ringer drop, in this film when the guns of one of the hitmen Leo shoots erratically goes off all over the room and he shoots his OWN feet, etc.). SO specific, but so hilarious! Also, The Ladykillers MUST be a future watch. That's probably THE most underrated Coen Bros. comedy. ALSO also, Sam Raimi has a cameo as the cop with two pistols (billed as "Snickering Gunman" lol) in the scene where the cops raid one of Leo's joints. Absolutely ridiculous and hilariously random cameo, but it's one of my favorite cameos ever 😂

[@GF_Baltar]

Fun drinking game for this movie: take a shot every time someone says "Jesus, Tom" 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

[@susanliltz3875]

Yes Marcia was in “Mystic River”along with The Mist.. A movie where she doesn’t mess things up =. “The Spitfire Grill” along with the wonderful Ellen Burstyn!!!

[@VonPunk]

How much did I love you thinking Leo was fucked when I knew he was far from it, and your reaction (and my anticipation for it) to how quickly it turned around was the biggest highlight of the video. Also I did not realise how underappreciated this film was till now, 16k views in almost 3 days, man people are really missing out a gem if they've not seen this one, I hope you've inspired some people to seek it out. Thanks for watching it, consider yourselves richer for having seen it now. Also J.E. Freeman played great villains, mostly remembered for this film, Alien Resurrection, and Go, but yeah, always great to watch, if not as well known as others in this film.

[@zbennalley]

Every time I think of this film, I think of the scene from Oceans 12 when they talk about the "look into your heart" scene.

[@adamp2029]

Fargo, the show, is riddled with direct references to a lot of their movies.

[@Lady_Vengeance]

The cops showing up and wrecking shop throughout the movie is one of my favorite things ever. Comic hilarity on a grand scale.

[@andrewreisinger6860]

"Ballad of Buster Skruggs". Netflix movie directed by the Coens. It's an anthology (5 separate stories) with tons of great actors from the Coen Brothers stable.

[@the_33rd]

The director of photography for this film and other earlier Coen films went on to direct the Men in Black series.

[@Nay-kp6uu]

This is a great movie, I love the Coens. Gabriel Byrne is one of the most underrated actors ever. It's a shame he never got THE role that would get him an Oscar nom.

[@dre3k78]

My fav Coen Bros movie. The characters, writing and dialogue is top notch....lots of great witty period specific slang. Very underrated and im glad to see you guys react to it.

[@tristanjones7682]

To be honest that shootout with leo is one of the best scenes in the film as well as other films that had good shootouts!

[@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd]

"What heart?" such a great final line⚛😀❤

[@Hexon66]

There are really deep aspects that reveal themselves on multiple viewings (I know, that's a common Coen Bros. comment, but it's true!). One that may have been missed here, were the intricacies of the double love triangles of Dane, Mink and Bernie, "Mink is the Dane's boy") and Tom, Leo and Verna. The latter triangle becoming less conventionally clear of who loves whom.

[@ofrabjousday1]

Can't believe someone actually reacted to this incredible film. One extreme subtlety that no one notices in this one is the Coen Bros' use of 1930's movies cliches. Absolutely brilliant homages. For example, when the kid and the dog are staring at the dead man in the alley, the dead man's lips move, which were the little errors in early film that they would just leave in. Another great one is the scene where Tom throws the object at Verna, and he breaks her mirror. Look at the break when it happens, and then when they cut back to Verna, look at the mirror. That used to happen a lot in old films. One more, and then you can search for the others, when Tom gets punched down the stairs by Leo, there's the really long disembodied scream in the room. In the old westerns, there was almost ALWAYS that scene! So good. The attention to detail by the Coens in this one is astonishing. Check out Barton Fink next.

[@DrBeardfacePA]

I just realized Tom’s apartment is the Barton Arms. I’m guessing the Coens made this after they made Barton Fink.

[@thelastshogun3913]

If memory serves me correct, Barton Fink was written simultaneously.

[@patrickdepew4976]

They actually wrote Barton Fink, a movie about a writer suffering through writer's block, while they were suffering through writer's block on the script for this movie.

[@DrBeardfacePA]

@@patrickdepew4976That’s really interesting. I never knew that.

[@CineRam]

"Burn After Reading" is a Coen Brothers comedy that you will get quite a kick out of. I would also recommend their comedy "Hail Caesar" and "The Man Who Wasn't There" with Billy Bob Thornton.

[@michaeljames6817]

The Sopranos also made a couple references to this film. The Pine Barrens episode when they try to kill the interior decorator was directed by Steve Buscemi who's in this film.

[@roywilson4514]

Thats not what you call making a reference. You saying con air is also making a reference because he was in that?

[@LA_HA]

​@@roywilson4514I may be wrong but it seems like the op meant these to be separate thoughts. It just reads like it's the same thought. Again, I could definitely be wrong

[@cdlehner511]

OMFG! THE most under appreciated Coen of them all! Can’t wait!!

[@YoureMrLebowski]

9:05 "awww, dude. you hurt his feelings... and his face." -TBR 😆

[@adamp2029]

The best trivia about this movie is that Albert Finney plays a woman in one scene! It’s when Tom barges into the women’s room where Verna is. Oh yeah, and Sam Raimi has a cameo. At about 27:30 in this edit.

[@donkfail1]

My absolute favourite Coen Brothers movie. Thanks guys! And also my favourite Albert Finney scene when he rocks that Tommy gun. No regards for reality with the amount of bullets he fired, but it's a beautiful scene. The most badass I've ever seen him. Rest in peace Albert Finney. Rest in peace.

[@lukebarton5075]

Nice reaction. Super stylish film with some great period dialogue.

[@JimHoltslander]

MAN I haven't seen this since I rented it on vhs .... I remember liking it.

[@cdlehner511]

I was a little worried at the start; that they just weren’t going to “get” this. And it wouldn’t be hard to understand. Why this is so underrated, is I think there aren’t many period piece…that treat Prohibition-era crime like this. Your 20s/30s slang…the ethnicity, between Irish and Italian mobs. It’s exactly why I love it! The dialogue is rich and fun; great story…really well-acted (Marcia Gay Harden was born to play Vera!). In the end, quality wins out…and they loved it! Thanks for a great surprise.

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

It ISN'T underrated. It's lesser-known. The film has fantastic ratings from both critics and audiences.

[@jonc7739]

This is my favorite Coen brothers movie. Thank you for reviewing it.

[@LudvikM]

One thing that had me in awe the first time I watched this was also quite unexpected -- for a story this complex and the many, many characters in it, I was NEVER lost, not once. I was able to follow every twist and turn in the script. That's most definitely not on me. What a fantastic script.

[@auerstadt06]

Not many people know that early Thompsons came with an unlimited ammo setting.

[@davidmarquardt9034]

The Thompson had 2 drum magazines. The 50 round was very common and they also made some 100 round mags. But the Thompson empty was heavy, a hundred rounds of 45 ACP that's probably why the 100 round drum mag never caught on. Check out the book "The Gun that made the 20's Roar".

[@broonton]

"It could have been avoided" is exactly the point. The hat blowing away symbolizes these men losing control or doing things they shouldn't because of the woman they love. He says at one point, "there's nothing more pathetic than a man chasing his hat." The whole movies is Tom and Leo chasing their hats.

[@wjrasmussen666]

I always loved this movie. Glad to see someone react to it.

[@johnpittsii7524]

Hope you two are having an great and awesome day ❤

[@STOCKHOLM07]

TBR really nailing that intro. 10/10 good job! 🏆

[@Hermesforthree]

Rewatch the first scene. Note how Tom stays out of focus in the background at the bar until the moment Casper mentions Bernie, whereupon he steps forward to take position behind Leo, because this is important. Then watch the look on Tom's face when Leo tells Casper he can't kill Bernie: it's only at that moment that Tom comprehends Leo's feelings for Werner (or how far Werner's got her hooks in him). Then, of course, the opening credit sequence is the dream Tom later tells Werner about in which a wind blows off his hat. Werner asks if he chases it and catches it and it turns into something else (love, her) and he says No, there's nothing more foolish than a man chasing his hat. But the opening credit sequence is also the dream Tom wakes up from right after, and the first thing he does is put his hand to his head and ask: Where's me hat? He then proceeds to chase his hat (love, Werner) to Werner's. And then when they take Tom out to Miller's Crossing--clearly the same woods we see in Tom's dream--Tom looks up into the trees to give us the exact same canopy shots that were used in the opening credit sequence, while Frankie sings an Italian song with a melody reminiscent (to my ears) of the theme playing during that sequence. Tom is thinking on his dream and becomes sick with the certainty that he's about to be killed. This is what you get for chasing your hat.

[@dlaszacs]

I've been wanting one of the reaction channels I follow to react to Miller's Crossing for so long. It's one of my favorite mob movies. You've answered my prayers. 😊🎉

[@johnbrowne2170]

The best Coen Bros. film in my opinion.

[@JeremiahWeiberg]

After Tom was assaulted in the hallway and left. TBR said They're so nice...all of a sudden I'm remembering the two hitmen from Oscar. :D

[@adamp2029]

Starting with this one and going up until just a few years ago, I would go see every one of their movies on opening night. This is probably still my favorite. But the plot is so intricate, it’s tough to suss out on your first viewing.

[@AceMoonshot]

I had to watch it twice back to back. (watched it so many times now that I can quote pretty much the whole film) When it came out, Steve Buscemi was practically unknown and not the recognizable actor that he is now. And he is only in the film for a minute or so. So I spent much of the movie wondering who the hell Mink was. I knew he was the lover of the Dane and cheating on him with Bernie. And I knew Bernie was just using him to get the inside dope on fixed fights. All that made perfect sense to me. But I kept asking, 'who the hell is Mink?'

[@jasoncaldwell5627]

This is my favorite Cohen Bros. film and sometimes, it's like no one knows it exists! SO happy you both watched and enjoyed it! I love that everyone is downright apologetic about having to hit Tom.😊 This has a fantastic but very brief Steve Buscemi appearance. He's in it for two minutes but he's hysterical.

[@vickyy518]

That intro was hilarious - you guys are one of my favourite channels, always the right vibes

[@AceMoonshot]

My favorite Coen film. And Caspar is the only "straight crook" in the movie. Caspar starts the film off talking about ethics. And abides by his word. Leo knows he is doing Caspar dirty, and going to start a war, by wrongfully protecting Bernie for Verna, but does it anyway. Tom is loyal (he protects Leo and gave Bernie a pass for Verna) but amoral and plays everyone to achieve his goals. Verna plays everyone. Bernie is a POS. But Caspar stayed true to his word and his code of ethics.

[@AceMoonshot]

re: Verna and Tom. Yeah, he was "cheating" with her on the surface. But I see it as Verna likely started playing both of them at the same time. Which would include trying to keep them from knowing about each other. Bernie was her only concern. It is possible Tom didn't really know how deep she had her hooks into Leo until the meeting at the start of the movie. And he played her back and stayed in contact with her to get an angle on Bernie, which he does.

[@Zinn160]

Was really hoping for a “the hudsucker proxy” reaction, TBR. I’ll definitely take any Coen bros flick, though. Thanks for the entertainment, guys!

[@JamesInDigital]

This and Blood Simple are perfect.

[@flarrfan]

Looked at your Coen playlist...You're missing a lot of good ones, but you really need to add Jeff Bridges in True Grit and one of their most underrated, Hudsucker Proxy, which is worth watching for the cinematography and set design alone. And that's not to mention my personal favorite O Brother Where Art Thou, one of their funniest and most creative.

[@lewismaddox4132]

I love the Coens, but this is my favorite. "The Schmarter" is so good, so absolutely perfectly repulsive. John Turtorro is pefect in this role. (He always is!) I love it! But everybody is. This is the most superlatively cast movie I've ever seen. The one who didn't like Tom was The Dane, and he was played to perfection by JE Freeman. I was outside the film and in another world and he still scared the shit out of me.

[@AceMoonshot]

Schmatta is Yiddish for 'Rag.'

[@NJAsmodeus1]

Was so surprised when I finally saw this movie. Found when looking for gangster movies when I was on a godfather kick.

[@courtneywallace871]

So excited! I’ve been waiting for someone to do this film. My favorite gangster movie and one of my favorite Coen Brothers movies. Such great dialogue, story, acting, directing. Masterpiece! I don’t know that any other character in film history gets their ass kicked more in one movie than Tom. Next Coen Brothers should be O Brother Where Art Thou?

[@gluecement]

The thing that often gets missed during first viewing is Mink was having sex with the Dane and (maybe) Bernie. But there definitely was some sort of love triangle between those three men.

[@jasoncaldwell5627]

Something about the Cohen Bros is that they take full advantage of the widescreen format- each outdoors scene is lush and has a depth- in the woods of Miller's Crossing and outside Leo's mansion in particular.

[@norwegianblue2017]

To add to your list, recommend A Serious Man, True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davis & The Man Who Was Not There.

[@reservoirdude92]

The Man Who Wasn't There AND Barton Fink are probably their most underrated films.

[@norwegianblue2017]

@@reservoirdude92 I slept on The Man Who... for a long time. Recent rediscovery.

[@tevinwms1104]

This was the Coen Brothers' first collaboration with Steve Buscemi and John Turturro.

[@Madbandit77]

Steve and John actually grew up in adjacent neighborhoods. Steve in Valley Stream, Nassau County and John in Rosedale, Queens. John and his brother Nick went to my grade school, St. Clare. They were already actors when I was there.

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

Hands-down my favorite film of all time. The script, the characters, the score the cinematography...everything. Eddie Dane is one hell of a bad guy; he's just as smart as Tom, and a whole lot more ruthless. The screenplay boldly puts its central theme, ethics, into the very first piece of dialogue, and Johnny Casper is, weirdly, the most ethical character in the film, always being honest about his intentions and refusing to backstab anyone. For some reason, the recent Criterion release of this film cut out about two minutes, including the "Jesus, Tom," bit after Tom smacks that one guy with his chair. It's one of my favorite lines in the film...I have no idea why. after 33 years, they decided to change it.

[@thisisscorpio6024]

Caspar is my favorite character. Plus, it's nice to see a longtime character actor get a major role in a movie and do it well.

[@mordantfilms]

This is my favorite Coens movie. There's something about their first three films that are so great. It's partially because of Sonnenfeld's camerawork. I mean I love most of their other films, but the first three just have a brilliant quality that stand out.

[@rg3388]

Lots of interconnections among Coen films. “Why are you screaming?” It’s a Coenism. Look for it in other Coen films, such as the prison escape in RAISING ARIZONA.

[@tetleyT]

Great movie. Shakespearean.

[@tomfrankiewicz4030]

I can't say enough good things about this movie. And I love the slang dialouge.

[@MatthewMortensen1]

Love this movie. So underrated.

[@footofjuniper8212]

Agreed. It is rated highly on RT, but that doesn't mean it has the mainstream recognition it deserves.

[@alemmingsdeath]

speaking of Coen Brothers easter eggs, there's a quick one at the end when Tom walks into his apartment building called "Barton Arms" which predates Barton Fink's release, but it's a known story that Barton Fink was written by the Coens in the throes of writers block over Miller's Crossing.

[@bhikku23]

I do love gangster flicks and this might be my favorite one. I love how Tom works, by being smart and playing off of other people's distrust.

[@mike79p]

The cop that shoots the guy waving the handkerchief and then laughs is director Sam Raimi. 27:37

[@spikeinmadness5005]

Samantha, you should've known TBR was confused by his face in the thumbnail. Lol 🖐️😲

[@jas137]

The hat seems to be a symbol of loyalty, integrity and ethics in this film, and it's played with in fun ways if you pay attention.

[@gluecement]

Hat also seems to represents one's identity. Without their hat, they're lost.

[@jas137]

@@gluecement Yes. I don't have the concept fully fleshed out yet, but one would be lost without the moral compass, so that makes sense. Note Bernie never wears a hat even for a moment (I think).

[@gluecement]

@@jas137 Bernie actually does wear a hat in at least two scenes. When he first shows up to offer Tom a tip, he has a fancy bowler (very much in character), but when he returns after he's "killed," he's wearing a lower-class floppy hat. I'm sure we can find some symbolism in that switch.

[@tetleyT]

For me the hat symbolises someone chasing a problem that keeps gettign away from them. Tom says of his dream: "There's nothing more foolish than a man chasing his own hat". It kind of reflects his pride in staying put to solve a porbnlem. Eventually the hat comes back to him, but Verna was right in suggesting that when he picks it up it "turned into something else".

[@jas137]

@@tetleyT Interesting point. I think the hats may mean several things, maybe. I need us to all meet and talk this out. Ha. Seriously, though, I have said before I need people to talk about this movie with.

[@bigredtlc1828]

The lighting and sound effects in this movie are top notch. Coen Bros movies are always cinematically amazing. Gabriel Byrne was amazing in this film, probably his best performance. I wonder if the Coen Bros were inspired by Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars, as the plot is similar as Byrne's character plays both sides. Hidden gem of a movie, for sure. Thanks for reacting!

[@krizan1]

7:26 Foreshadowing without knowing it. 😂

[@zmani4379]

Lovely reaction - this is my favorite Coen film, and I never see it discussed, so it's so nice that you watched it - I think it has the perfect balance of their love of style and artifice, plus genre, plus brilliant language and intricate plotting, plus a layer of profundity - it's an adap of Daschell Hammett's Glass Key, also a 40s noir w Veronica Lake - also see Force of Evil - IMO the greatest gangster film is 1996 The Funeral - others include Prizzi's Honor, The Yards, Deep Cover, Shanghai Triad, Once Upon a Time in America - one of the stars here is Barry Sonnenfeld and his roving camera; also see his Get Shorty - I saw Marcia Gay Harden onstage in Seagull; other great roles include Crush and Pollock (where she isn't screwed up, and won an Oscar) - two of Albert Finney's greatest roles are Shoot the Moon and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - I'm trying to suggest brilliant films that are rarely discussed

[@doubleDD274]

My favorite Cohen Brothers movie for all the reasons you guys mentioned at the end. Sheer brilliance and a masterpiece!

[@StephaneFraisse]

Steve Buscemi never manages to stay alive until the end in a Coen brother's movie

[@patrickdepew4976]

I don't think he dies in Barton Fink or Hudsucker Proxy. But, yea, he does tend to die in their movies.

[@StephaneFraisse]

@@patrickdepew4976 you're right, I have not watch Hudsucker proxy since its theatrical release and I thought he was killed by Charlie Meadows in Barton Fink, but you're right.

[@StephaneFraisse]

@@patrickdepew4976 haven't seen Hudsucker proxy since it's theatrical release and I thought his character was killed by Charlie Meadows in Barton Fink but you're right, he's not.I'm getting old, my brain hurts....😃

[@carridodresan4046]

I'm in shock....in Spain this movie was titled: Death among the Flowers and the original title is Miller's Crossing!!. What had those who made that translation drank or smoked?😂🤣😅

[@brettmuir5679]

Seen this movie more than any other Coen Brothers. " when I raise hell you'll know it"

[@terrygracy8345]

This is a surprise. Prob my favorite Cohen brother movie. When you see the short about this movie being about gay gangsters can’t unsee it and makes it more fun to watch for a different perspective I LOVE the music in this. That clarinet gets stuck in my head

[@Britcarjunkie]

Just stumbled across this one: it's about damn time somebody reacts to this classic!

[@terryhughes7349]

well made movie. great reaction.

[@1newbert]

One of my favorite Coen Brothers films. This is a version of a couple of different Dashiel Hammett books, with the main influence being the Glass Key. I lived in Austin when they filmed Blood Simple. Had a few friends with parts in the movie.

[@earthresident9022]

Well that took about 8 reaction min for TBR to suggest dbl execution. 😂😂he's on form still for years

[@joeyrogers7017]

I was just thinking about this movie. Definitely a favorite of mine from the Coen Brothers. It's been a few months since my last watch so yeah, it's due for another.

[@victorsixtythree]

44:55 - Interesting...I didn't know that was Sam Raimi in that gun fight scene. I DID know that the Coen Brothers borrowed Raimi's famous running travelling shot technique (and used it in Raising Arizona, for example).