Miller's Crossing review

 Number 391 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Coen Brothers' 1990 neo-noir gangster film Miller's Crossing.

Set in prohibition-era America, Miller's Crossing follows Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) right-hand man to Irish mobster Leo O'Bannon (Albert Finney) as O'Bannon wars with rival Italian gangster Johnny Casper (Jon Polito.) Reagan desperately tries to stay alive as he plays off the two sides against each other. Marcia Gay Harden and John Turturro co-star.

Miller's Crossing comes quite early in the Coen Brothers' career - being only the third film they made. As such, I would argue it was one of their more straightforward films. Unlike their later efforts of the Big Lebowski, Fargo and Oh Brother, where art thou, there was far less off-the-beat humour and far less surrealism. This made it an enjoyable and engaging gangster flick made at a time where they had some stiff competition from the likes of Goodfellas, Carlito's Way and Casino. The 90's was a hell of a time for gangster films for sure.

Yet what separated Miller's Crossing was not only the prohibition setting but its also strong cast. A highlight among them was Jon Polito who brought a brilliant, maverick energy to Caspar. It was the perfect balance to veteran English actor Albert Finney who gave a calm and measured performance as the far older Leo O'Bannon. John Turturro was also great as bookie Bernie Bernbaum. He soon makes an enemy of Caspar by continuously skimming off his match-fixing winnings. It looks like Bernbaum is nothing more than a greedy schnook, but he proves himself to be cleverer than meets the eye.

And nowhere is this more true than with our protagonist Tom Reagan. Although he begins as a close ally of O'Bannon, he soon realises that he has to play both sides if he has any chance of surviving this growing mob-war. In 2009, the Guardian labelled Gabriel Byrne one of the best actors to have never received an Oscar nomination (but bear in mind this article is years out of date) and he was good in this film. It's a fair comment as Byrne plays the man caught between two sides very well. And a quick shoutout to Marcia Gay Harden who would go onto prove why she later went onto win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Although it might have lacked some of the surreal humour that the Coen Brothers are so well-known for, it still had the same stylistic flair they're so well-known for. The dialogue was sharp and snappy and its cinematography and style have been emulated well in future decades. Did the scenes in the titular Miller's Crossing remind anybody of a certain episode of the Sopranos?

Miller's Crossing might have been one of the Coen Brother's earliest films before we really knew what they had to say as film-makers, but it was certainly an enjoyable enough effort. And they showed why, like Marcia Gay Harden, they went onto win Oscars of their own.

Bugsy Malone (1976) review

 This film does not feature on the top 1000 films. It is a musical pastiche of the gangster genre with teenagers playing the role of adults. It tells the story of the titular 'Bugsy Malone' (Scott Baio) who is caught in a war between rival mobsters Fat Sam (John Cassisi) and Dandy Dan (Martin Lev). Jodie Foster co-stars in one of her earliest roles.

I would count the Godfather as one of my favourite films and the Sopranos as one of my favourite TV series. You could say I am a big fan of the mobster genre. And I am an even bigger fan of this pastiche. it lovingly poked fun at a genre that as a whole takes itself too seriously.

Instead of tommy guns, we have cream-shooting splurge guns. If you're splurged then your street cred is dead and you are no longer a gangster. It's a clever way sanitising the often gratuitous violence you often find in gangster films. Who can forget the famous scene where Sunny Corleone is massacred in a volley of machine-gun fire?

Musicals aren't for everyone - I don't always like them - but the songs in Bugsy Malone are memorable whether it is of the janitor Fizzy singing about an audition that he will probably never have or Fat Sam's henchmen celebrating being bad guys, there are plenty of great musical numbers. Considering the film is set in the prohibition/jazz era, it is only appropriate.

The teenager actors all did a good job creating strong, likeable characters. We've already talked about the two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster, but Scott Baio, John Cassisi, Martin Lev and all the rest were great as well. Despite being primarily a comedy, there was a lot of heart and a lot of drama.

Sure, you can argue the ending becomes a bit soppy, but this is a pastiche after all. It's unlikely that we'll have a scene where all of Michael Corleone's enemies are gunned down while his son is being christened.

Overall, Bugsy Malone was a self-aware heart-warming pastiche of one of my favourite genres. It is a great family film for children and parents alike.

American Gangster review

 Number 468 on the top 1000 films of all time is Ridley Scott's 2007 biographical crime film 'American Gangster.'

Based on the true story of Harlem crime kingpin and drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) American Gangster explores how this once lowly crook rose to become of the biggest drug traffickers in US History, as well Newark Detective's Richie Roberts' (Russell Crowe) efforts to catch him.

Ridley Scott really likes his overlong films, doesn't he? Black Hawk Down was far longer than it needed to be, and the same could definitely be said for American Gangster which burgeoned on three hours. It was bloated and could have been excised. The obvious example would be Richie Roberts' storyline. He is supposed to be the only honest cop in a department of crooked cops like corrupt NYPD detective Nick Trupo (Josh Brolin) who regularly accepts bribes and robs criminals of their drugs only to go on and sell them himself. 

Richie is also locked in a bitter divorce battle with his ex-wife. Although he is straight in his work, he is not in his personal life. As we learn, he is a serial womaniser. This was a massive subplot which didn't deserve the amount of screentime we spent on it. I really couldn't have cared less. Richie's wife Laurie (Carla Gugino) was little more than a scorned woman. And due to Richie being so straight, he wasn't the most interesting character to watch. We like maverick detectives who aren't corrupt, but they play by their own set of rules. This is what sets them apart from every other police officer out there. And this subplot also did a disservice to Russell Crowe who is a good actor.

If we didn't spend so much time on this subplot, I would have enjoyed American Gangster much more than I did. Frank Lucas was the superior and more interesting character. It was fascinating seeing his journey from his former boss' driver and bodyguard to, effectively, the Harlem Pablo Escobar. Although the historicity of the film's events have been questioned, it's amazing to see how he cut out the middle-man and dealt directly with heroin producers in South-East Asia. He smuggled the drugs back into the country by putting them in the coffins of American soldiers returning home from Vietnam.

Ultimately, I would say this is a good film. It just didn't need to spend so much time on Richie Roberts. 

Road to Perdition review

 Number 544 on the top 1000 films of all time is Sam Mendes' 2002 crime drama 'Road to Perdition.'

Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a hitman working for Irish-American mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman) in 1930's Illinois. When Sullivan is out on a hit with Rooney's son, Connor (Daniel Craig,) Sullivan's own son witnesses the killing. Fearing the boy will talk, Connor kills Michael's wife and his own son. Hellbent on revenge, Hanks will stop at nothing to kill Connor. Meanwhile, a silent assassin Harlen Maguire (Jude Law) is tracking down Michael Sullivan.

What I liked most about this film was its understated nature. For a gangster film, it was subtle and quiet. While there were big acts of violence, as we would expect, it was never gratuitous. This was a film that prided itself on its nuanced performances rather than its grandiose spectacles. And there were some great performances.

Tom Hanks always knocks it out of the park. From Saving Private Ryan  to Captain Philips, he has proven time and time again that he is a well-deserving two-time Oscar winner. This was also Paul Newman's last live-action role before his death a few years later. I remember him well from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And he brought the same gruff charisma to this role. His character is one of conflict. As well as being Connor's father, he is also Michael's spiritual father. He is a man caught between two sons and two worlds and Newman played the role well.

I was less convinced by Law and Craig, but I feel that's more due to their writing rather than their performances. Law's character was too mysterious and under-developed to be of any circumstance. And after making a powerful impact in the film's first half, Craig then completely disappears in the second half. Supposedly, his character goes into hiding, but considering the film is building towards a showdown between he and Michael Sullivan, it was a let-down to not see this showdown playout.

Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable and effective gangster thriller. And I certainly think that Newman went out on a high.

Carlito's Way

 Number 412 on the top 1000 films of all time is Brian De Palma's 1993 crime drama 'Carlito's Way.'

Former crime kingpin Carlito (Al Pacino) is released from prison back into his New York neighbourhood. Determined not to go back, he resolves to go straight, but when his best friend/lawyer Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) rips off the Italian mob, he find going straight will be harder than he thought. Luis Guzman, Penelope Ann Miller and Viggo Mortenson all co-star.

I love a good redemption story. Take a bad man, a ,man who knows he's made mistakes and have him repent? I'm all for that. Plus it's a great source of conflict. It's no secret that America has an awfully high recidivism rate with 2/3 released prisoners  going onto reoffended. Once released, convicts find it difficult to leave their old lives. The transition is no easier for Carlito.

Upon release, all he wants is to earn enough money to retire to the Bahamas but it isn't that simple. His cousin Guajiro takes him to a drug deal with his supplier, butt he deal is a set-up and Carlito only escapes with his life. Later on, he refuses multiple offers to go into business with the young, hotshot gangster Benny Blanco from the Bronx. When Benny later crosses a line, Carlito has a chance to kill him, but instead sets him free. To see Carlito wrestling with his true nature made for delightful viewing and pushed the narrative along.

Loyalty is a key theme of the film and is Carlito's fatal flaw. His best friend is the unstable, coke-addicted Kleinfeld. Kleinfeld is very much the foil for Carlito's character; always causing problems and upsetting his plans to go straight. And nowhere is this more obvious when Kleinfeld steals a million from the mob. The mob promises to forgive the debt if Kleinfeld breaks mob boss Tony Taglialucci out of Riker's Island prison. And who does he ask for help, but Carlito who reluctantly agrees. 

Of course, things go wrong. The whole breakout plan is a setup for Kleinfeld to kill Taglialucci and his son. Realising the truth, Carlito severs ties with his former friend. But the loyalty he shows Kleinfeld is not reciprocated. The feds later pick up Carlito and explain that Kleinfeld is prepared to testify against him. Considering how much of a slimy worm he is, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody but Carlito who has been blinded by loyalty.

I also want to give a quick shoutout to Viggo Mortenson who is always great. Although he only appears in one scene, it is one of the film's best. He plays a former associate of Carlito, Lalin Miasso, who is rendered wheelchair-bound after he was shot in the back. But it is revealed that he is wearing a wire. Breaking down in tears, he confesses that since he was shot, he has no life. He can't walk or have sex. he has to wear nappies. It was a powerful and surprising way of humanising a morally bad character. While Carlito should kill him for his betrayal, he lets him live, showing how much he wants to change. Any other crime boss would not suffer a rat to live.

Although there is one big plot hole that I would like to address. When the feds tell Carlito that Kleinfeld has betrayed him, they also tell him that his bodyguard Pachanga (Luis Guzman) has betrayed him and is now working for Benny Blanco from the Bronx. Despite knowing this, he still entrusts the safety of his girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) to Pachanga. 

Lo and behold, right at the end, just as it looks like Carlito has won, Benny Blanco shoots him dead - thanks to Pachanga's devious ways. There was no way Carlito was ever going to walk off into the sunset, but his death was unrealistic. He is far more sentimental and trusting than any gangster has any right to be, but you think he would be more careful when it came to Gail. Especially when he knows that Pachanga has betrayed him.

But that notwithstanding, I did enjoy this film. It was the perfect telling of a redemption arc and it has a surprise standout performance from Viggo Mortenson.