The Coen brothers are known as quality filmmakers and while this movie is one of their best it failed miserably in the box office when it first came out but has now become a cult classic.
Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne in his best performance) is a consiliere (trusted adviser) who gets into a heap of trouble when his boss Leo (Albert Finney) decides to protect shyster Bernie Bernbaum (John Torturro) from up and coming Italian mob boss Johnny Caspar (Tom Pollito). You see, Leo is in love with Bernie's sister Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) whom Tom happens to be having an affair with.
The plot is convoluted and complex as Tom is in a love triangle but also ends up having to take on another love triangle, this time a discreet homosexual one concerning Bernie, a fast-talking bookie named Mink (Steve Buscemi) and Johnny's top enforcer, The Dane (JE Freeman). It's a clash of idealism versus reality as Tom outwits them all, somehow staying above the fray as violence and chaos swirls all around him.
Every character is unique in which they have their own quirks and vices. Tom is far from perfect due to his gambling problem and yet he is superior to all the others due to the fact that he is a realist while everybody else is an idealist, meaning they tend to trust their allies and lovers too much while Tom knows the evil that lurks in the hearts of all men (and women). In the end, it is Tom who is the most ruthless of them all because of his cynicism.
If you like period drama, complex plot machinations and gangsters, this is a must see film. Don't be afraid if you don't understand it all, it takes several viewings for most people to get it.
Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne in his best performance) is a consiliere (trusted adviser) who gets into a heap of trouble when his boss Leo (Albert Finney) decides to protect shyster Bernie Bernbaum (John Torturro) from up and coming Italian mob boss Johnny Caspar (Tom Pollito). You see, Leo is in love with Bernie's sister Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) whom Tom happens to be having an affair with.
The plot is convoluted and complex as Tom is in a love triangle but also ends up having to take on another love triangle, this time a discreet homosexual one concerning Bernie, a fast-talking bookie named Mink (Steve Buscemi) and Johnny's top enforcer, The Dane (JE Freeman). It's a clash of idealism versus reality as Tom outwits them all, somehow staying above the fray as violence and chaos swirls all around him.
Every character is unique in which they have their own quirks and vices. Tom is far from perfect due to his gambling problem and yet he is superior to all the others due to the fact that he is a realist while everybody else is an idealist, meaning they tend to trust their allies and lovers too much while Tom knows the evil that lurks in the hearts of all men (and women). In the end, it is Tom who is the most ruthless of them all because of his cynicism.
If you like period drama, complex plot machinations and gangsters, this is a must see film. Don't be afraid if you don't understand it all, it takes several viewings for most people to get it.