These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
I feel like there’s a lot I don’t understand about Miller’s Crossing after this one viewing, but the most confusing motif of the film is the Hat, by a million miles. Does it signify a drifting of conscious, of loyalty, of faith or strength? Does it signify anything at all? At the very least, it shows that the Coen Bros. know what they’re doing, putting so much thought into their work & still managing to make an enjoyable (& enjoyably violent!) film. I’ll tell you one thing, tho: that Hat reminded me of one of my favorite movie scenes of all time. So, God bless YouTube!
The first 1:18 is all that’s really pertinent to Miller’s, but you get the point. Benny & Joon is no crime-drama masterpiece, but the idea of a man being a fool to chase his hat was an idea I really liked to see repeated again & again both in Miller’s & this mid-nineties romantic comedy (genre film, anyone?). I want to talk about this Glass Key “adaptation” before I say much more, cos I’m more confused than anything else right now, but I will say that I really liked the film & was even moved by it a little bit. Just a little.