Glass Key
There are some definite similarities between The Glass Key and Miller's Crossing.
shareYa think?
I know I'm shouting, I like to shout.
MovieChat Forums > Miller's Crossing (1990) Discussion > Glass Key
Don't forget about "Red Harvest."
shareI came here today after watching the Glass Key. While not a remake, there are many similar characters and similar plot twists. Which just goes to show, there is not much new in Hollywood! Lol!
shareI've heard it compared to a Fistful of Dollars too.
share[deleted]
In "Red Harvest", when the Continental Op comes to a group of people gathered in front of the police department, he asks one of the men: "What's the rumpus?" (Tom's frequent line in "Miller's Crossing")
"Red Harvest" was the inspiration for Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" (according to the director himself).
"A Fistful of Dollars" was based on "Yojimbo" (and Leone got into a legal battle with Kurosawa over that).
So if "Miller's Crossing" resembles "A Fistful of Dollars", there's your connection.
"Your money's no good here, Mr. Torrance."
the glass key and miller's crossing are pretty much the same film,even with the rough gay subtext..william bendix's character is terrifying and complicated..the coens added their wonderful stylized visuals,and carter burwell's great music,but the major characters are all there,along with major plot points..yojimbo and a fistful of dollars didnt have the love triangle and big city politics as the main plots..the great theme about friendship (ladd/donleavey and byrne/finney)
was as important as the other story lines..loved both movies,but i lean toward miller's crossing.
You're absolutely right. Miller's Crossing is a direct descendant of The Glass Key. Red Harvest is more of a uncle, making Yojimbo and Fistful of Dollars distant cousins of Miller's Crossing.
Hammet just used a similar plot device in both books, making perfecting it in The Glass Key.
"Your money's no good here, Mr. Torrance."
I read Hammett's Glass Key shortly before seeing Miller's Crossing when it came out in the theater and was baffled why there was no credit given to Hammett. Maybe it was supposed to be one of the Coen's relentlessly annoying insider jokes, but I thought it was just about exactly the same narrative.
shareI read the "four great novels" shortly after seeing this and The Maltese Falcon about 20 years ago. As I recall, my overriding impression was that the Glass Key had a much more similar plot whereas Red Harvest was more of a source for dialogue, as the poster above mentioned with the "what's the rumpus?" line.
shareYou meant Miller's Crossing is more of a D. Hammett film (on the story and writing) rather than Coens'? and they haven't given any credit to Hammett about that? if so, being a big fan of Coens myself, I'm kinda disappointed on them two brothers now!
:)