Tom Reagan – “Tom Reagan” is a fictional character from Joel and Ethan Coen’s film Miller’s Crossing (1990). Tom is the right-hand man of mob boss Leo O’Bannon, played by Albert Finney. The first time we see Tom, he is standing quietly, mixing a drink as Johnny Casper, played by Jon Polito, asks Leo to stop protecting Bernie Bernbaum, played by John Turturro, because Bernie is fixing fights, which is costing Casper money. Leo says he can’t stop protecting Bernie, much to Casper’s chagrin. Casper and his right-hand man, The Dane, storm out of Leo’s office. When Leo asks him his opinion on the Bernie situation, Tom thinks it would be smart to give Bernie to Casper. Leo says he has to protect Bernie because he is the brother of the girl he plans to marry, Verna, played by Marcia Gay Harden. We learn that Tom owes a lot of money to a gambling shark by the name of Lazarre. Leo offers to pay off his gambling debts, but Tom refuses.

Later in the film, Tom is awoken by a knock as the door during the middle of the night. Leo is out wandering, worried where Verna is. Tom tells Leo that he thinks Verna is “grifting” Leo to use his money and to get protection for her brother. Leo objects and calls Verna “an angel.” Tom responds, “Leo, if she’s such an angel, what are you doing looking for her at four in the morning?” After Leo leaves, Tom returns to his bedroom and climbs back into the bed he’s sharing with Verna.

Back at the Shenandoah Club, Leo’s nightclub and place where he conducts all his business, Leo is discussing the possibility of going to war with Johnny Casper with Tom. Tom doesn’t think that attacking Johnny Casper’s club will end up good. Tom says he would much rather give up Bernie if that averted a war with Casper. Tom considers Leo, and Bernie, at fault for this oncoming war and warns Leo that Leo, not Casper, has the most to lose in this war. Leo tells that they have fought, and survived, worse odds. Tom replies, “Not without reason. It helps to have a reason.”

After leaving Leo’s office, Tom finds his way into the ladies room, looking for Verna. Tom tries to get Verna to help him convince Leo not to go to war over Bernie’s protection. Verna, being Bernie’s sister, doesn’t like this idea at all and punches Tom in the face. After being punched, Tom whips his glass of rum into a mirror and shatters the mirror.

After leaving the Shenandoah Club, Tom walks into his apartment and is greeted by the ringing of his telephone. On the other end of the phone is a representative of Lazarre, looking for his money. Tom hangs the phone up and acknowledges Bernie, who had been sitting in a chair for this entire conversation. Bernie talks about having an “in” on an upcoming fight and will let Tom in on the cut of the fight if he help him out in Leo’s war.

Tom is abducted by Casper’s men on the street and takes him back to Casper. Casper offers to cut a check to Lazarre for the amount Tom owes to him if Tom will give him Bernie. Tom refuses and Casper leaves Tom in the room with Frankie, one of his goons. Tom cracks Frankie, played by Mike Starr, across the face with a chair. Tic-Tac, another one of Casper’s goons, comes in and Tic-Tac and Frankie are working over Tom when the police come and break up Casper’s club. Casper retaliates and tries to assassinate Leo at his home in the middle of the night. The assassination attempt was unsuccessful.

After the assassination attempt, Police Chief O’Doole and Mayor Levander have switched their allegiance to Casper. Tom thinks that Leo is bad-off coming off the assassination attempt and continues to tell Leo to give up Bernie, but Leo won’t listen. Tom intentionally tells Leo about his affair with Verna. Tom leaves Leo’s office when Leo comes up behind Tom and punches Tom in the face. Leo continues to beat Tom around the Shenandoah Club and throws him out.

After his falling out with Leo, Tom visits Casper and goes in “all business” with Casper. Tom tells Casper that Bernie, and the Mink, are hiding out in room 302 of The Royale hotel. Tom, Tic-Tac and Frankie drive over to The Royale and abduct Bernie. After picking up Bernie, they drive out to Miller’s Crossing where Tic-Tac informs Tom that he has to kill Bernie. Tom walks Bernie out into the middle of the woods and shoots the ground instead of Bernie. Tom tells Bernie to disappear and if he comes back, he truly is dead. After returning from Miller’s Crossing, Tom tells Casper that The Dane is in cahoots with the Mink. When Tom returns to his apartment, he finds Bernie sitting in his living room. In return for sparing his life, Bernie turns on Tom and wants him to kill Casper.

Later on in the film, Tom gets “kidnapped”, as Casper would later refer to it, by The Dane. The Dane says their going to find the corpse of Bernie at Miller’s Crossing and warns Tom that if they don’t find a corpse in the woods, they’ll leave one – Tom’s. After wandering around Miller’s Crossing, Tom collapses on the ground and starts vomiting. This leads The Dane to believe that the body of Bernie is not in the woods. Just as The Dane is about to kill Tom, Tic-Tac stumbles across a body in the woods and gets Tom off the hook.

Tom finds Casper making a play for power with the mayor and chief of police. After taking the mayor’s office for his own, Casper apologizes to Tom for The Dane nearly killing him. Tom doesn’t accept the apology and continues to try and play The Dane against Casper.

Later that night, Bernie calls Tom and Tom tells him that he’s leaving town and he wants $2000 to not tell Casper that Bernie is alive. Tom tells Bernie to have the money at his apartment at 4:00 AM. As Tom leaves his apartment, some of Lazarre’s goons were waiting for Tom and proceed to beat him up. They don’t break any of Tom’s bones because “Lazarre like you, Tom.”

Later in the film, Tom tells Casper that the Mink is going to be in Tom’s apartment at 4:00 AM and continues to play The Dane against Casper. When Tom walks into Casper’s office, he is met by The Dane, who proceeds to beat Tom up. The Dane believes that Tom killed Mink. The Dane has a strong chokehold on Tom when Casper blindsides The Dane with a hot soot shovel. Casper than shoots The Dane in the brain because “you always put one in the brain!”

Casper is dropped off by his driver at Tom’s apartment at 4:00 AM. Tom tells the driver that he’ll take Casper home, so he can go on. As Tom walks up his apartment’s stairs, he hears two gunshots. As Tom walks up the stairs, he finds the bloody corpse of Johnny Casper lying in the hallway, with Bernie holding the pistol. Tom says they can pin the murder on The Dane, but there is just one problem – “The Dane’s already dead halfway across town.” Tom shoots Bernie in the head and makes it look like Casper killed Bernie and Bernie killed Casper. Tom walks into his apartment and calls Lazarre. Tom tells Lazarre he has all his money and that he’d like to place a bet.

Tom comes to Bernie’s funeral and talks to Leo. It is revealed that Tom working with Casper was to setup Casper and Tom didn’t even let Leo in on it. Leo practically begs Tom to come back and work for him, but Tom walks away. The movie closes with Tom looking over the brim of his hat.

Actor Gabriel Bryne played the role of “Tom Reagan”. To date, this is the only Coen Brothers film Bryne has appeared in. Bryne would later go on to be featured such films as The Usual Suspects (1995) and End of Days (1999). Bryne would also go to appear in the television series In Treatment (2008).