There is a tendency toward slapstick and pratfall over real emotion in Arizona . The movie never finds its real heart. The first fully-formed display of the Coens' stylistic panache M iller's Crossing followed Arizona , and is a great big bear hug to the conventions of the gangster genre. The film relishes its golden light, its whipsmart dialogue and the jut-jawed glamour of stoicism. Characters are named Rug, Tic-Tac, Casper, The Dane and Mink.
Newspaper headlines advance the narrative.
Miller's Crossing is more homage than deconstruction. And Reason's name is, of course, Love. The film also has style to burn, offering the first fully-formed display of the Coens' stylistic panache. Cameras slink, glide and tip-toe through the action. Violence always comes with music, usually show tunes or standards.