--- title: "Miller's Crossing: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/millers-crossing/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/millers-crossing" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Miller's Crossing (1990): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Miller’s Crossing, with praise clustering around its controlled direction, carefully composed images and inventive gangster dialogue. The performances are another point of agreement: Albert Finney draws repeated praise, while Jon Polito’s comic work also stands out. The favourable reviews find that the intricate plotting gives weight to questions of friendship, character and ethics, rather than merely providing an opportunity to revisit crime-film conventions. The spread is wide, however, and the central disagreement concerns how much substance lies beneath the style. RogerEbert.com admires the craft and acting but finds the storytelling short of momentum, while the Los Angeles Times finds the film chilly despite its visual and verbal pleasures. The New York Times offers the strongest dissent, treating the references to older gangster films as an exercise with little point or connection to life beyond the genre. ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 5/5. This is a sublime Prohibition-era gangster saga and a magnificent display of compelling acting, spellbinding storytelling and fine film-making in a dark-hued, richly operatic mood piece. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-pctv3e/millers-crossing/) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic views the film as working both as a crime thriller and an ironic commentary on the genre, with sharp dialogue and complex plotting that pays tribute to 1930s crime literature and films while exploring themes of friendship, character and ethics. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/millers-crossing) ## Empire — Scott Russon Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is the nearest thing the Coen brothers have produced to a classic literary tale, with a story of Shakespearean stature focused on themes of friendship, character and ethics. It stands out for its warm visuals, graphic novel framing and graceful camerawork. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/miller-crossing-review/) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1989. The review praises the substance, twisted style, and controlled direction by the Coens, highlighting outstanding performances by Albert Finney and others in this Prohibition-era gangster tale. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1989/film/reviews/miller-s-crossing-1200428329/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 5 October 1990. The critic admires the technical pleasures, strong performances by Albert Finney and Jon Polito, and visual style but finds the film overly self-aware and lacking a compelling narrative drive to pull viewers through its plot machinations. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/millers-crossing-1990) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 1990. The critic finds the film stylish and elegiac with lush visuals, fine performances especially from Albert Finney, and strong dialogue, but ultimately chilly and light on substance or deeper meaning. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-05-ca-1531-story.html) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 1990. Festival review. The critic views the film as weightless and without much point, seeing it primarily as an exercise in recalling old gangster movie conventions rather than a substantial work with real-world resonance. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/21/movies/review-film-festival-in-miller-s-crossing-silly-gangsters-and-a-tough-moll.html) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2003. The critic calls it classic Coen Bros. and highlights the film's distinctive style, inventive pulp language, and strong supporting performances, especially Jon Polito's comic turn as Caspar, while noting some issues with the central character. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/millers-crossing-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/millers-crossing.md