MovieChat Forums > Miller's Crossing (1990) Discussion > I don't get it

I don't get it

posted 5 years ago by LTUM (1071)
29 replies | jump to latest

Why is this movie so loved?

I've tried three times to watch it over the years, and it just lags and lags and crawls. The opening convo was okay. Not great, but it had my attention. Then it's just gabriel byrne walking around talking to different people about stuff the viewer has not been included in (events happening off screen, with names we don't know). I am trying to figure out WTF is happening in the story, and honestly keeping up with all the dozens of names is impossible. Also, it is waaaayyy too talkie; all dialogue with hardly anything else happening. They take 'Tell don't show' to a whole new level with this one.

I don't find it even mildly entertaining, at this point, and I am a huge Coen fan.

So, again: why is this so loved?

Also, who or what is Miller? Is that gabriel byrne or the name of the town? Or is it the name of a street intersection? Has not been clearly conveyed.

Enlighten me.

[–] LTUM (1071) 5 years ago

Okay the assassination attempt was cool. But not clear why they tried to nail Finney. Was it Caspar's men?

[–] kwestmo (4385) 5 years ago

"Also, who or what is Miller? Is that gabriel byrne or the name of the town? Or is it the name of a street intersection? Has not been clearly conveyed."

You're trolling or will never be able to understand this film. I suspect the latter

[–] LTUM (1071) 5 years ago

Not trolling, and not dumb. Where was that name mentioned?

But you may be right, I may never get it. It's just too talkie. So many things discussed that happen off camera. I paused it at the one hour mark because I need a break lol. The first half exhausted me, trying to keep up with all t8he abstract names etc.

But I know it is highly revered so I will finish it this time, just to see what the hype is all about.

But so far I gotta say it by far the worse Coen film I have ever seen, and I've seen most of them.

[–] LTUM (1071) 5 years ago

Just checked the cast list. There's no Miller listed. Leo's last name is missing. Is Finney Leo Miller?

You really don't see my points at all? I think I am making reasonable points here.

I will go read a summary after I've finished it, which may explain where the Miller comes from. But I never read those before I've finished the film. Thing I am saying here is, it's not been mentioned in the film dialogue so far.

[–] kwestmo (4385) 5 years ago

Miller's Cross is a location. They call it by name. It is where Bernie was killed.

It just may not be your kind of movie, which is really what I meant. Sorry

[–] kungfulord (957) 4 years ago

Miller's crossing is the woods where they kill people, they said the name of the place once or two letting clear is the place used to dispatch there enemys

The plot is not that complex i thinks is great movie is not boring at all, just watched for the maybe fifth time and like it as the first

[–] LTUM (1071) 4 years ago

Didn't do it for me. Imo it was wayyyyy heavy on dialogue.

[–] kungfulord (957) 4 years ago

Is a great movie one of my all times favorites, the photography, art design, the ambientation, the history, performances the mix of comedy drama everything is great is an original aproach of the ganster genre just classic Cohen. But if dosen't work for you, it doesn't. There is a lot of classic movies that just doesn't work for me either

Maybe you would like more modern gangster films like everything from Guy Ritchie there is another movie with a very strong guy ritchie vibe Layer Cake with Daniel Graig

[–] LTUM (1071) 4 years ago

thank you my friend. I will check it out.

[–] bop101 (148) 5 years ago

I believe it's the name of the area Bernie Bernbaum was to be killed.

[–] NVF (851) 5 years ago

bop is right

"Tom then approaches Caspar looking for work and Caspar commands him to kill Bernie in the woods at Miller's Crossing to prove his loyalty." Wiki

[–] LTUM (1071) 5 years ago

thanks. but if someone watches the film in 1990 when there is no wikipedia, I guess they never figure that out? lol

cause it's not mentioned in the movie.

[–] pjl69 (2647) 5 years ago

Its in the movie poster... I don't read wikipedia, but somehow I've always thought that Milller's Crossing is the place that's shown in the poster, where Bernie was supposed to be killed.

[–] pjl69 (2647) 5 years ago

And also, the main credits sequence of the movie is in the woods, so that's another hint, if I remember correctly. Its been long since I last time watched it.

[–] ducksoup (3933) 4 years ago

Wikipedia: A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations.

I think they are calling Tom a miller, not that his name is Miller. Or maybe Leo is the miller? Or Caspar? Or Bernie? All fascinating possibilities. Thank you for increasing my appreciation of this movie!

[–] ducksoup (3933) 4 years ago

Wait no, it's obvious! Verna is the miller!

[–] kwestmo (4385) 4 years ago

In 1990 people didn't need Wikipedia because they paid attention during the movie and heard Miller's Crossing mentioned. After a year I am convince you were a troll

[–] LTUM (1071) 4 years ago

I am not trolling. Everything I said is sincere and moreover CORRECT.

[–] LTUM (1071) 4 years ago

Actually, I think you are trolling me when you accuse me of trolling. I took time to type a thoughtful post up top...what part of that seems unreasonable and 'trolling'? smh

[–] Threadkiller (3089) 5 years ago

I've seen the film once before & i only remember two & a half scenes. The scene where Byrne's character is supposed to execute John Turturro but decides to spare him after a long pleading speech, after which Byrne simply orders him to leave town. Later Turturro's character returns & betrays his mercy by blackmailing him. Turturro ends up on the wrong side of his gun again & tries to plead for his life again only to be coldly executed this time. I remember literally nothing else about the movie.

[–] Roguemail (1627) 5 years ago

So...what is the other half scene you remember?

Seriously...saying that you only remember a few scenes from a movie is no reflection on the movie, its more a reflection on your powers of recall.

I have seen movies both good and bad that I have not been able to remember fully afterwards.

And for me this is a movie that focuses very heavily on the dialogue which is quite enigmatic. There are lots of words and phrases that may not appear obvious at first, like the word 'schmatta', or the phrase 'giving me the high hat' and ' whats the rumpus?'.

In truth, much of this dialogue consisted of words and phrases made up by the Coens for the movie. So for me this was a movie that worked within the gangster genre, but also created its own universe.

And for my money, I think the set piece with the attempt on Finneys life is one of the best I have ever seen. Period.

This is NOT a traditional gangster movie. In tge same way that Fargo was supposedly based on a true story but wasn't. And that movie also had quirky characters with weird or unusual speech patterns and dialogue.

[–] Threadkiller (3089) 5 years ago

Jeez! Calm down. I didn't say it was a bad movie. I simply found it very forgettable (literally) apart from those stand out scenes between Byrne & Turturro which I actually thought were pretty good. Also, I said two & a half scenes because I wasn't completely sure if the blackmail/execution scenes were separate scenes or not, which I guess then makes it potentially three scenes that I recall, if that pleases you.

[–] Alessandro (112) 4 years ago

"I've tried three times to watch it over the years, and it just lags and lags and crawls. The opening convo was okay. Not great, but it had my attention. Then it's just gabriel byrne walking around talking to different people about stuff the viewer has not been included in (events happening off screen, with names we don't know). I am trying to figure out WTF is happening in the story, and honestly keeping up with all the dozens of names is impossible. Also, it is waaaayyy too talkie; all dialogue with hardly anything else happening. They take 'Tell don't show' to a whole new level with this one."

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy cow, what a pretentious stinker of a movie!

Thanks for summing it up for me.

[–] LTUM (1071) 4 years ago

[–] TheArgentinian (7251) 9 months ago

you have to be aware of its influences to appreciate it. I wouldn't have cared for it as a teenager.

[–] LTUM (1071) 6 months ago

valid point. that is exactly what i tell people about layer cake. just finished a post on this lol

[–] Jones70 (6862) 6 months ago

I thought it had great cinematography and a bunch of good action(gunplay and verbal).

[–] LTUM (1071) 6 months ago

eh, maybe. but everything i could possibly say, i have said up above.

the story is jusy nebulous. for me, hollow action for action's sake is just not appealing. i gotta have conntext.

cheers.

[–] redban (6770) 2 months ago

It’s overrated because of the Coen Brothers name . It’s a 6/10