The Verne Miller Story

While the movie is about Verne Miller's life it also documents one of the most important events in law enforcement history, the Kansas City Massacre. It was this event that took place at Union Station Kansas City in 1933 that permitted Federal Agents to carry weapons. However, two points to bring up. First is continuity. At the time of the Kansas City Massacre, Al Capone was in Alcatraz and was not, as the movie indicates, out of prison to tell his men not to touch Frank Nash. The second relates to reality. Union Station Kansas City was depicted as an old wooden train "depot" when in reality it is a magnificent 850,000 sq. ft. edifice of marble and granite. Other inconsistencies have been brought to light with recent research. The most significant of these is that the officers killed at Union Station were not killed by Vern Miller and his two cohorts but by other police officers. This was uncovered after the production of this movie.

1987's "The Verne Miller Story" is a rather unique gangster movie. First of all, it deals with a man that very few people are probably familiar with today, that being Verne Miller. Verne Miller was a former, highly decorated soldier from serving in World War I, who became a tough on crime law man in South Dakota. Then one day, after Verne Miller had gone on vacation, it was discovered that he had embezzled several thousand dollars from the county and the "vacation" was nothing more than a cover for a get away. Eventually, he was caught and spent some time in jail. After he got out, he became a full fledge gangster. That much is certainly true. The movie presents Miller as a killer but one that has a heart. For example, there is a part in the movie where Miller takes on a false identity and goes to a fair where he encounters a group of blind children. Verne offers to help the children win prizes by participating in a shooting game and wins a prize for all of the children and goes on his way. Whether or not any of that is true, I cannot say. What I can say is that Scott Glen, who plays Verne Miller, does a great job making you believe that something like that could have happened. The move than follows Miller as he becomes more and more powerful in the underworld by killing for Capone. Along the way, he makes numerous woman friends and lives the high life in a country club. Eventually, he becomes too big for his own good when he leads the Kansas City Massacre, something that the real Verne Miller did. All in all, this is not a bad movie. It has the touches of an artistic movie as far as the colors and cinematography (see the scene that has Miller dressed up as a mannequin for a murder and you'll see what I mean). Great acting by Scott Glen and good shot out scenes. If you love movies like "Bonnie and Clyde", then check this out.

Scott Glenn takes on the role of the infamous mob assassin Verne Miller and he simply excels in the part that fits his dry, lean persona. While the production might be low-budget, execution mildly slapdash (although it does have some imaginative flourishes) and the story's account of this larger-than-life figure is somewhat makeshift in its sensationalized details when he becomes an important underworld figure. It's the performances that drive this one home, especially Glenn. I always found him to be an under-appreciated actor and here he's no different.

In 1925, ex-lawman Verne Miller is released from prison after spending two years there for embezzlement. Soon he finds himself working along side Chicago Mobster "Scarface" Capone and becoming his number one hit- man. But things begin to change for the worse when he starts going behind Capone's back, the Feds start interfering and his health starts declining.

Gangland: "The Verne Miller Story" is a distinctively stark mobster feature (The intro is stylishly presented, like it's taken out of a Bond feature with its saucy opening song). Each scene seems to move quite quickly as in the end it's rather a simplistic take on the rise and fall of Verne Miller. Perfect it's not, but thoroughly entertaining and Glenn gives his character quite a humane quality which stands out in certain scenes when compared to the calculative nature he goes about his business. The dramatics of the narrative can be all over-the-place, sometimes even being comedic in an unintentional manner. Still there are offbeat moments (especially surrounding Thomas G. Waites' portrayal of Capone), a surreal quality (carnival setting and a certain death scene or two) and the script have its witty exchanges. Even brutal, without being excessive in the visuals (like the Kansas City Massacre, which saw Capone turn his back on Millar). Miller is portrayed as quite ladies man, and the women on show give strong performances with the likes of the seductive Barbara Stock (however I did find her narration unnecessary), Lucinda Jenny and Diane Salinger. Also showing up in accessible support are Ed O'Ross, Sonny Carl David, Andrew Robinson and Xander Berkley.

I'm posting this quite some time after the other two people, but I've always been attached to this one, and saw it again last night. As with so many gangster / bank robber biopics, I couldn't really care less how much of this film is the truth. I do care about whether it's entertaining, and it is. I have to agree with "Helen" about several things, especially that remark, "Any more attitude and it would have become camp." Because it DOES know when to stop. Many times, it has an "arty" look, almost like (at the risk of labeling things) an early ' 70s film instead of one from ' 87. There's the mannequin scene, the house of prostitution scene, with Al Capone looking sadly at all the women in their costumes, the carnival scenes, all very strange ones. And the comical scenes, like Ralph Capone (I can't think of the actor's name) "pantsing" the man who came directly from Herbert Hoover! I know nothing about him in real life, but he seemed almost modeled on Fredo Corleone, because he's the older brother who gets the younger brother upset. I think Scott Glenn, Andrew Robinson and all the other actors, and the story, came together very well.

Scott Glenn plays the flamboyant gangster,Verne Miller, who worked for Al Capone out of Kansas City. The film comes across as more a series of random events, rather than a cohesive story. Believability is seriously tested, with Glenn having the charisma to bed any woman he desires. As with Al Capone, Miller suffered the ravishes of advanced Syphilis, which is mercilessly hammered home throughout the movie. Supporting characters are a real mixed bag, with Andrew Robinson and Ed O'Ross the most memorable. Character development of Verne Miller is terrific, unfortunately the rest of the characters simply revolve around Miller, with little or no development. This is no "Godfather" or "Untouchables", but is a must see for admirers of Scott Glenn. - MERK