Miller's Crossing (4)
Nov. 23rd, 2010 05:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
malenkiyscot<continued>
Note: It turns out that the Miller of the title comes from the Coen Brothers' frequent film editor, Michael R. Miller.
I think we are almost ready. Let's smack our lips and go over the main cast.
Albert Finney as Leo, the Irish mafia boss who de-facto runs the nameless Prohibition-era city where the action takes place. In a parody of the mandatory thompson submachine gun shootout scene (noticed how he never runs out of ammo?) Leo is shown to be the nerves-of-steel quick-thinking killer - the quality that has probably elevated him to his current high station in the criminal world.
It's a solid performance by Finney. He seemingly does everything the directors have asked him to do, but not much more. The part was originally written for Trey Wilson, who died of cerebral hemorrhage at only 41 years of age shortly before the production began. This probably explains why Leo has none of that innate comic quality of all the other male characters: Wilson would know how to do it even if it was not openly written into the part, Finney - an inherently serious actor - does not.
Jon Polito as Johnny Caspar, Leo's nemesis and the stock Coen brothers' "street philosopher". The movie starts with Caspar's monologue on the subject of ethics, the upshot of which is, of course, that someone (Bernie) has to be bumped.
Bold, fat, short, and Italian Polito has all the trappings of a certain comic type, and the looks do not deceive - his performance is finely comical. The brothers just could not resist putting some of the most serious and profound thoughts in the mouth of the most comical actor in the cast. Great performance.
Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan, the protagonist, a heavy drinker and a gambler. Tom is Leo's number two in the brains department (Dead Terry is seemingly Leo's number two in the muscle department). He is a typical noir loner - we know nothing about his past, he never mentions his family, dislikes kids and has none. He apparently "works" for Leo, but does not seem to be making a whole lot of money.
Byrne's performance consists mostly of facial and body expressions - notice how before Tom says the first word in the movie the antagonism between him and the Dane is established via the eye contact between them, his first "line" is a shrug, his second "line" is a look of surprise at Leo's decision to protect Bernie, and the movie ends with one of Tom's looks. Whatever little that Tom says is said with a delicious Irish accent ("She's a grifter, just like her brother. They probably had grifter parents and grifter grandparents and someday they'll each spawn little grifter kids" - I'm ready to listen to that line over and over again). To top it off Byrne's good looks do not hurt, either. A very nice performance.
Marcia Gay Harden as Verna, Tom's girl, Leo's lady (for lack of a better word), and Bernie's sister.
A rather mediocre performance by Harden. Not much to say about it.
John Turturro as Bernie Bernbaum, a corrupt bookie whom Caspar wants to have killed. A person with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The hidden antagonist.
This is an absolutely brilliant, brilliant performance by Turturro! That actor is so unbelievably versatile! He plays in four Coen movies (Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?) - four absolutely different great performances. However, I think his Bernie is by far the best of the lot.
J.E. Freeman as Eddie The Dane, Caspar's number two, the apparent antagonist.
The part consists mainly of comical ferocious looks. The Dane's only monologue - the one he delivers to Tom in the car on their way to Miller's Crossing at the turning point in the movie - is a very fine piece of acting. A good performance overall.
Steve Buscemi as Mink, Dane's boy (and, as it transpires, Bernie's boy as well). A very shifty, nervious, and, of course, comic character. While he has only one on-screen appearance, Mink is more central to the plot and the message of the movie than some others who appear more.
In his only on-screen appearance - the dialog with Tom at the bottom of the stairs in Shenandoah Club (Leo's headquarters) - Buscemi nails Mink's character. A great, albeit short, performance.
<to be continued>
Note: It turns out that the Miller of the title comes from the Coen Brothers' frequent film editor, Michael R. Miller.
I think we are almost ready. Let's smack our lips and go over the main cast.
Albert Finney as Leo, the Irish mafia boss who de-facto runs the nameless Prohibition-era city where the action takes place. In a parody of the mandatory thompson submachine gun shootout scene (noticed how he never runs out of ammo?) Leo is shown to be the nerves-of-steel quick-thinking killer - the quality that has probably elevated him to his current high station in the criminal world.It's a solid performance by Finney. He seemingly does everything the directors have asked him to do, but not much more. The part was originally written for Trey Wilson, who died of cerebral hemorrhage at only 41 years of age shortly before the production began. This probably explains why Leo has none of that innate comic quality of all the other male characters: Wilson would know how to do it even if it was not openly written into the part, Finney - an inherently serious actor - does not.
Jon Polito as Johnny Caspar, Leo's nemesis and the stock Coen brothers' "street philosopher". The movie starts with Caspar's monologue on the subject of ethics, the upshot of which is, of course, that someone (Bernie) has to be bumped.Bold, fat, short, and Italian Polito has all the trappings of a certain comic type, and the looks do not deceive - his performance is finely comical. The brothers just could not resist putting some of the most serious and profound thoughts in the mouth of the most comical actor in the cast. Great performance.
Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan, the protagonist, a heavy drinker and a gambler. Tom is Leo's number two in the brains department (Dead Terry is seemingly Leo's number two in the muscle department). He is a typical noir loner - we know nothing about his past, he never mentions his family, dislikes kids and has none. He apparently "works" for Leo, but does not seem to be making a whole lot of money.Byrne's performance consists mostly of facial and body expressions - notice how before Tom says the first word in the movie the antagonism between him and the Dane is established via the eye contact between them, his first "line" is a shrug, his second "line" is a look of surprise at Leo's decision to protect Bernie, and the movie ends with one of Tom's looks. Whatever little that Tom says is said with a delicious Irish accent ("She's a grifter, just like her brother. They probably had grifter parents and grifter grandparents and someday they'll each spawn little grifter kids" - I'm ready to listen to that line over and over again). To top it off Byrne's good looks do not hurt, either. A very nice performance.
Marcia Gay Harden as Verna, Tom's girl, Leo's lady (for lack of a better word), and Bernie's sister.A rather mediocre performance by Harden. Not much to say about it.
John Turturro as Bernie Bernbaum, a corrupt bookie whom Caspar wants to have killed. A person with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The hidden antagonist.This is an absolutely brilliant, brilliant performance by Turturro! That actor is so unbelievably versatile! He plays in four Coen movies (Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?) - four absolutely different great performances. However, I think his Bernie is by far the best of the lot.
J.E. Freeman as Eddie The Dane, Caspar's number two, the apparent antagonist.The part consists mainly of comical ferocious looks. The Dane's only monologue - the one he delivers to Tom in the car on their way to Miller's Crossing at the turning point in the movie - is a very fine piece of acting. A good performance overall.
Steve Buscemi as Mink, Dane's boy (and, as it transpires, Bernie's boy as well). A very shifty, nervious, and, of course, comic character. While he has only one on-screen appearance, Mink is more central to the plot and the message of the movie than some others who appear more.In his only on-screen appearance - the dialog with Tom at the bottom of the stairs in Shenandoah Club (Leo's headquarters) - Buscemi nails Mink's character. A great, albeit short, performance.
<to be continued>
