MUBI

This is the movie that proved without a shadow of a doubt that Martin Scorsese was going to be something amazing. This shows such a great sense of humanity and life, few movies have so many realistic scenarios, characters and outlook. There are some truly original shots and New York is always a great place to make a movie. I think that even back then, Scorsese knew exactly what he wanted and the style he wanted to achieve. On top of this great bit of film making there are a lot of performances that are unforgettable. Both Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro are so much fun to watch and these are two of their most rich characters. This is a truly unforgettable movie and one that signified the careers of so many.

A jazzy, misguided, messy autobiographical film about life on the streets of little Italy in New York city. Scorsese has begun to discover his craft and skill technically, and you can see it is a passionate subject matter for him. The frenzied style we have all come to recognise comes into fruition here with his long handheld takes, moody lighting and visceral violence. Some great acting, and a nice soundtrack, the film just feels schizophrenic, not enough exploration of key ideas. There is such an exuberant energy radiating off this picture, that its credit is completely well deserved however. The atmosphere was perfect, and it hints at further developed greatness, but it just wasn’t quite all there. Its definitely an important film, and one that will require further visitation, but for now it doesn’t extend further than respect, as the film itself was not as enjoyable as I had hoped.