Neo-Noir of the 90’s: Vol. 3

From the Greek “neo” for new and the French “noir” for black, Neo Noir is a term used in film and literature. It refers to a genre that primarily uses elements of the film noir movement of the 40’s and 50’s with modern spin on style, themes and sometimes content.

Vol. 3 – Miller’s Crossing (1990) – Anti-hero Tom Regan (Gabriel Byrne) is the right hand man to Irish crime boss, Leo (Albert Finney) in this prohibition era gangster tale of a series of crosses and double crosses. Control of the city is being fought over between Leo’s gang and Johnny Caspar’s (Jon Polito) Italian family. The police are pawns in the game and gambling and alcohol are the king and queen in this world. We follow our hero getting himself in and out of certain peril. The skin of his teeth seems to constantly fit into his plan… if he actually has one.

This is my favorite film by the Coen Brothers which puts it in the running for my favorite film period. I’ve certainly watched it more times than anything else. And I’ve never tired of it. I mentioned in my post about Se7en that I think that that films possibly suffers a little from overexposure. This is another film that is commonly seen on Saturday afternoons on basic cable. In contrast however, this is the type of film that can be enjoyed on many more levels. On one hand, the finely crafted dialogue of the Coens combined with great performances by Byrne, Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro and Jon Polito photographed magnificently by Barry Sonnenfeld makes for a great art flick… On the other hand, this film blends matter of fact violence with dark humor so well that you can separate the entire film into a whole bunch of really cool parts. I can watch this film alone in the dark analyzing every frame as though it was my favorite homework assignment. Or, I can zone in and out of it some lazy afternoon in my living room while I’m checking my fantasy team and helping the kids with their homework.

This film takes much of its noir queues from the setting that the story takes place. Prohibition era gangster stories have been the backdrop for pulp novels and films since they were told in the present tense and you find all of the classic tropes in this film. Double crosses, gambling, drinking, fighting, hats and of course the femme fatale all play a major role in this intricately woven tale. And less we forget the scheming anti-hero. Tom Regan is the perfectly unreliable narrator. We’re never quite sure who’s interest he truly has at heart or even if he has one. 

This film also contains what is probably my favorite frame in any film ever. I flat out love this shot. It’s simple enough. An old man with a crooked toupee is leaning against a wall in an alley while a young boy and his dog stare perplexed at him. Out of context, we see what looks like a photographed version of a Norman Rockwell Americana. The underlying darkness only comes from the knowledge that this is actually a depiction of the corpse of a murdered gangster being discovered by an innocent child. This is the type of contrast and matter-of-factness of their scene construction is what the Coen Brothers have been making masterpieces out of for the past 28 years.

Enjoy.