10 Great Filmmakers Best Remembered For The Wrong Films

8. The Coen Brothers

Best Remembered For: No Country For Old Men (2007), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998) Should Be Remembered For: Miller's Crossing (1990) Fargo was the mainstream breakthrough embraced by Oscar, The Big Lebowski is the cult comedy so popular it's barely even cult anymore and No Country For Old Men is what conventional wisdom would say is the Coen brothers classic. But what of Miller's Crossing, the Coens' homage to prohibition-era gangster movies and labyrinthine film noir? A masterpiece of plotting, Miller's Crossing is ironically both one of the brothers' least-watched films among the general public and a summation of what they're best known for: offbeat dark comedy and genius wordplay. The Coens didn't just pilfer from the past for Miller's Crossing, but invented their own tough guy language. It's a key reason why this tale - of a Man With No Name-type antihero (Gabriel Byrne) playing warring gangs off against each other - endures: there's so much talent evident in the screenplay that every line of dialogue comes across as a witty one-liner for the ages (one particular highlight: "I suppose you think you raised hell." "Sister, when I've raised hell, you'll know it"). But it's not just about the words, as glorious as they are. Miller's Crossing also bears some ravishing autumnal photography and a cast that's right at home in this tribute to classic cinema; Byrne is wonderfully sardonic, John Turturro is appropriately slimy and Albert Finney brings an old-school weight to proceedings that towers over every scene. You also get Steve Buscemi talking faster than he's ever talked before, which just about seals the deal.