Miller's Crossing (Criterion) 02/22 Blu-ray (Rental)

A Roaring Twenties gangster saga that only the Coen brothers could concoct, Miller’s Crossing marries the hard-boiled sensibility of classic noir fiction with the filmmakers’ trademark savory dialogue, colorful characters, and finely calibrated set pieces. Gabriel Byrne brings a wry gravitas to the role of Tom Reagan, the quick-thinking right-hand man to a powerful crime boss (Albert Finney), whose unflappable cool is tested when he begins offering his services to a rival outfit—setting off a cascade of betrayals, reprisals, and increasingly berserk violence. The Hopperesque visuals of cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld, majestically elegiac score by Carter Burwell, and vivid supporting performances from John Turturro and Marcia Gay Harden come together in an intricately constructed slice of pulp perfection that crackles with sardonic wit while plumbing existential questions about free will and our own terrifying capacity for evil. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 2K digital restoration, approved by director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld and filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, with new 5.1 surround soundtrack mix presented in DTS-HD Master Audio New conversation between author Megan Abbott and the Coens about film noir and hard-boiled crime fiction New interviews with Sonnenfeld, composer Carter Burwell, music editor Todd Kasow, and production designer Dennis Gassner New and archival interviews with actors Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, and John Turturro English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by film critic Glenn Kenny