]MILLER'S CROSSING] (1990)

Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) is right-hand man to Prohibition-era mob boss Leo O'Bannion (Albert Finney), who's being challenged by Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito), up-and-coming Italian gang leader. Their "rumpus" is over Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro), a sniveling but dangerous bookie who's cheating Caspar but is protected by Leo. Tom's at odds with his boss, Leo, and he's also having an affair with Verna (Marcia Gay Hardin), who's Leo's mistress and Bernie's sister. Somehow Tom has to maneuver himself through this mess and stay alive. Right away you know that this is a Coen brothers movie--the thuggery combined with near-comical bizarre scenes and dialog, along the lines of "Barton Fink" and "The Man Who Wasn't There." I didn't much care for the plot, but the acting makes it well worth watching. Finney is magnificent--tough but often hapless when dealing with Tom and Verna. But the movie belongs to the inimitable Polito, whose Johnny Caspar is just unforgettable--the embodiment of the Coen's off-the-wall character development.