Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Miller's Crossing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 15, 2022

Joel and Ethan Coen's "Miller's Crossing" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with the Coens; new program with director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld; new program with actors Gabriel Byrne and John Turturro; archival interviews; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Prohibition era. Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) is the confidante of middle-aged crime boss Leo (Albert Finney), who likes to think that he calls all the shots in the city because the chief of police and the mayor are on his payroll. Reagan never questions the grand image Leo’s mind has crafted in his head, but occasionally reminds him that there are other ambitious men in the city that need to be treated right so that he can continue to enjoy his success.

One day, Reagan witnesses how Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito), another crime boss who thinks very highly of himself, openly questions Leo’s authority when he ‘warns’ in his office that he is about to take out well-known swindler Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) for repeatedly screwing up his very profitable match-fixing racket. When the annoyed Leo orders Caspar to stay away from Bernbaum because he pays him for protection, Reagan immediately interferes, realizing that the two bosses will use their disagreement to collide and determine once and for all who deserves to rule the city. But Reagan’s diplomatic efforts are immediately rejected, and soon after Leo and Caspar declare war on each other.

When the difficult times begin, Reagan is instantly presented with a number of awful dilemmas. One of them is whether to remain loyal to Leo or use the chaos to help Caspar’s people destroy him so that he can have a future with Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), a local beauty whom his boss likes and plans to marry. Another is whether to keep his promise to Verna and help Bernbaum, who happens to be her brother, or leave him to figure out on his own a way out of the mess he has created. And another is whether it is worth enduring the difficult times or use them as the perfect pretext to permanently walk away from the underworld.

Joel and Ethan Coen's intimate relationship with film noir isn’t exactly a well-kept secret, so the prospect of having them direct Miller’s Crossing as a tribute to some of their favorite noir fiction writers must have looked incredible when it was initially described on paper. Blood Simple for instance is the type of genre masterpiece that typically materializes after many years of hard work, but it was the Coens' directorial debut. In other words, even before its production was officially greenlighted, Miller’s Crossing already had the potential to be a very, very special film.

Unfortunately, Miller’s Crossing is one of those very rare projects that gathers plenty of excellent actors and produces some very stylish visuals, but somehow fails to utilize them the right way so that it tells an engaging cinematic story.

Why is that?

There are more than half a dozen reasons, but they can all be traced back to one big issue: style and substance are oddly mismanaged. Indeed, right from the get-go it feels like the storytelling and visual aesthetics of Miller’s Crossing quite simply aren’t moving at the same speed. As a result, soon after the opening credits disappear it begins to look like the Coens are forced to play catch-up so that they can keep fitting in everything they want to be part of Miller’s Crossing. This is the main reason why when taken out of context so many of the individual performances look really good too, but in the grand scheme of things become easily forgettable. Simply put, the illusion that the actors are real characters with feelings and emotions facing authentic dilemmas never materializes.

One of the few things Miller’s Crossing gets right but is rarely credited for is the accuracy of its ethnic details. There are plenty of pitch-perfect expressions in it that introduce unique flavors that could have been part of an incredible period atmosphere.

Miller's Crossing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Miller's Crossing arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This digital transfer was created in 2K resolution from the 35mm original camera negative. The new 5.1 surround mix was created by supervising sound editor and rerecording mixer Skip Lievsay and composer Carter Burwell in 2021 at Warner Bros. Sound, New York.

Transfer supervisor: Barry Sonnenfeld."

While some viewers could be slightly underwhelmed by the fact that Miller's Crossing was not redone in 4K, I think that the existing 2K master produces just about the same results the 4K master that was created for Blood Simple does. Indeed, delineation, clarity, and depth are either very good or excellent, while the color-grading job is as good as it could have been in 1080p. Now, there are some areas where it feels like light black crush begins to sneak in, but I personally am not convinced that this is the case because there is so much unique period stylizing that frequently it is actually very easy to tell that thicker blacks and shadows are intended. (In a new program that is included on this release, Barry Sonnenfeld actually confirms that the entire film was shot with very low-sensitivity stock, which is exactly the reason why screencapture #10 looks as it does). Additionally, there is some indoor footage that could reveal slightly better fine nuances, but only in higher resolution and with a different range of color values. Naturally, I think that as it is the darker indoor and nighttime footage looks very, very good (see screencaptures #18 and 19). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is outstanding. All in all, I think that the Blu-ray offers a very strong and convincing technical presentation of Miller's Crossing that will not disappoint its fans. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Miller's Crossing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is terrific. The short sequence that screencapture #4 is taken from, for instance, sounded so good in my system that I would consider it 'reference material'. Elsewhere dynamic contrasts can be quite impressive as well, especially when some external noises sneak in. The dialog is very clear, clean, and stable. There are no technical anomalies to report in our review.

Miller's Crossing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Hard-Boiled: The Coen Brothers and Megan Abbott - in this brand new program, Joel and Ethan Coen discuss their love for film noir and its impact on their work with author Megan Abbott. The program was produced for Criterion in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• The Actors - in this brand new program, Gabriel Byrne and John Turturro recall their experiences during the making of Miller's Crossing and discuss some of the film's unique qualities with Megan Abbott. The program was produced for Criterion in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (33 min).

• The Music - in this brand new program, composer Carter Burwell and music editor Todd Kasow recall how they became involved with Miller's Crossing and discuss the important role music has in it and how it actually compliments the Coen Brothers' style. The program was produced for Criterion in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• The Look - in this brand new audio program, director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld discusses the evolution of his career, his professional relationship with the Coen Brothers, and and the unique stylistic appearance of Miller's Crossing, which is apparently his favorite of all the films he has lensed over the years. The program was produced for Criterion in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• The Design - in this brand new audio program, production designer Dennis Gassner explains how he entered the film business and recalls how he was offered the opportunity to work on Miller's Crossing. There are some particularly interesting comments about the use of color in the film as well. The program was produced for Criterion in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• From the Archives - presented here is a collection of archival interviews with actors John Turturro, Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Jon Polito, which were conducted after shooting of Miller's Crossing had ended in 1990. The interviews were used to promote the film's upcoming theatrical release. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Glenn Kenny's essay "Marvelous Americans" and technical credits.

Miller's Crossing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The special glue that keeps together everything that happens in Blood Simple is missing in Miller's Crossing, which is the one and only reason I have never been able to like it. I think that there are some terrific performances in it -- the late Jon Polito, for instance, is great -- plus Barry Sonnenfeld's camera produces some lovely period visuals, but the complete product looks and feels mismanaged. This was my take on the film in the early '90s, and despite numerous attempts to alter it, it remains the same. Criterion's Blu-ray release of Miller's Crossing is sourced from a very solid 2K master that was supervised by Sonnenfeld and features a fine selection of exclusive new bonus features. If you are a fan of the film, you should pick it up for your collection. RECOMMENDED.