Reviews (408)

FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOODFELLA...
This is simply a great mob movie. Based upon the best selling book, "Wiseguy", by Nicholas Pileggi, it traces the rise and fall of "gansta" wannabe turned government informant, Henry Hill. Skillfully directed by Martin Scorsese, this film with its all star cast, megawatt performances, and period music soundtrack packs quite a wallop to the senses. Named 1990's best film by the Los Angeles, New York, and National Society of Film Critics, it garnered six Academy Award nominations and earned Joe Pesci an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In the 1950s, a preteen Henry Hill (Christopher Serrone) began his career as a "gansta" wannabe on the mean streets of East New York, where a small Italian American community thrived. Working with Paul Cicero's (Paul Sorvino's) crew, he worked his way up, doing the penny ante, gofer stuff, until he began more heavy duty involvement. As a young man, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) took to his life in the underworld like a fish takes to water. He married a nice, jewish girl whom he turned into a shrewish girl, as he lived the life he wanted. His wife, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), also became entranced by the perks available to a mobster

Henry teamed up with Jimmy "The Gent" Conway (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). Together they stole, lied, cheated, and killed their way through life, until they got wacked or got caught. When Henry, against the express advice of Paul Cicero, got involved with Jimmy in the 1970s cocaine drug trade, it was the beginning of the end for him and Jimmy. The film skillfully chronicles the rise and fall of Henry Hill from wiseguy to goverment informant in the witness protection program..

It is amazing that the actor playing young Henry Hill, Christopher Serrone, resembles Ray Liotta so much, right down to the piercing hazel eyes. He gives a terrific performance as young Henry, expressing all the joie de vivre that young Henry had over being associated with mobsters. Ray Liotta, as the adult Henry Hill, gives an outstanding performance. The viewer senses his absolute love for the life that he lives. He clearly enjoys all the perks of a mobster, his only regret being that he could never be a "made" guy, because he was not fully Italian, as his mother was Sicilian but his father was Irish.

Robert DeNiro is wonderful as Jimmy Conway, low key yet powerful. Joe Pesci gives an over the top performance as the wild, volatile, and totally crazy Tommy DeVito, an out of control wiseguy who has no redeeming value as a human being. He is a guy who does not think twice about killing someone over something trivial. Paul Sorvino is excellent as the mob boss who is all about the family and plays it the old fashioned way. Lorraine Bracco gives the performance of her life as Karen Hill, a woman besotted by the life of a mobster's wife, until she realizes that girlfriends are an expected part of that life. She is sensational.

This is simply a great mob movie. It is a film that the viewer will watch again and again. I, myself , have seen it at least three or four times, and each time is as if it were the first. Vastly entertaining, this film is a worthy addition to one's collection.

Goodfellas - A Scorsese classic!
Of all of the "mob" movies that have graced the silver screen over the years, "Goodfellas" most certainly stands a head taller than the majority of them and it can be said that this film is one of the "definitive" mobster movies. Few movies, if any, can compare to the compelling "based on a true story" nature of this film and the graphic realism that is so brilliantly portrayed by Scorsese's direction and the exceptional cast members.

"Goodfellas" is a powerful film based on the true life best seller "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi. More specifically, it's based on the true story of Henry Hill (Ray Liota), who along with his pals Jimmy "The Gent" Conway (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) who received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this film. Needless to say, the performances by these actors, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino are nothing short of superb.

The premise:

Narrated by Henry Hill and his wife Karen Hill, "Goodfellas" tells the tale of how he grew up admiring the local mobsters, gained their friendship and then came to be employed by them. After all, how could anybody resist a life in which if you're part of the "organization," there is nothing that you cannot have and you have the fearful respect of everybody around you, as long as you're continuing to make money and not stepping on any of the important people's toes.

As the movies progresses along, Director Martin Scorsese does a beautiful job in displaying many of the aspects of the mobster's lifestyle and the many things that can happen in that lifestyle.

From the opening frame to the final credits, "Goodfellas" is a gripping, suspenseful and enlightening gangster movie that bears multiple viewings quite easily. I highly recommend this film to any and all fans of gangster movies. Fair warning though, this movie "is not" for the faint of heart or the squeamish, for it is fairly graphic at times, which serves to enhance the nature of this film but is not too good on the eyes. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

This DVD was released in 1997 as one of the early transfers, therefore it's not loaded down with an exceptional amount of special features, which is fine because it's all about the film. I do find it surprising that this one hasn't been re-released as a "Special Edition" with all the special features, featurettes and documentaries.

What is does have:

- A remastered soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
- Production notes
- Two theatrical trailers

Best Mob Movie Ever
This is by far the best mob movie ever. Based on real life, it's just the best

I hope that it's not a "flipper" AHHHHHHH!
This movie is a true classic, but I'm not going to talk about it. There are 413 other reviews that drool about how great Goodfellas is. If you don't know, you are either totally inexperienced with cinema or are living under a rock.

Instead, let's talk about 'features.' The last Goodfellas DVD was a 'flipper,' or a DVD that was so cheap, you had to get up and turn it over half-way through the film. I can accept that I need to turn Lawrence of Arabia over during the intermission, but Goodfellas is comparatively short. It is 2.5 hours long, to be more precise. A 2.5 hour film fits easily onto a single-side DVD with only a mildly-noticable transfer skip. That is the only special feature I want from this new version of the DVD. I'll buy it, just don't make me flip it, God in heaven!

Furthermore, Martin Scorsese has gotten the absolute worst treatment of any director this side of Roger Corman on DVD. Even his last film, Gangs of NY, was subjected to a ridiculous film-ruining stop right in the middle of a love scene that is so abrupt, you have to laugh. Didn't the jack-a$$es who ruined the Goodfellas DVD years before learn their lesson? OK, so Gangs was done by Miramax (the worst company on Earth for DVD quality and price,) but why does this trend have to blight poor Scorsese so terribly. He is one of the greatest living directors, for God's sake! His movies aren't exactly low-profile. The only Scorsese film that has been given a proper treatment is The Last Temptation of Christ, but that was a Criterion, and not a Warner DVD.

That brings me to my final thought. Considering the fact that Warner actually does a great job at releasing quality DVDs with a decent amount of interesting features most of the time, it seems doubly stupid releasing some of their greatest back-catalog titles like a lobotomized afterthought.

(...)

great
best mafia movie i've ever seen, though i haven't seen the godfather. can't wait for the commentary with the criminal and fbi agent. ... Read more

Reviews (205)

Great film (it's Scorcese: what do you expect?)
"Casino" falls short of Scorcese's classics like "Goodfellas," "Taxi Driver," and "Raging Bull," and it covers too familiar ground (another mob movie? De Niro and Pesci again?). Nonetheless, it's an irrestistible glimpse at the mob scene in Vegas, and it's chock full of stellar performances. If Joe Pesci deserved an Oscar for his role in "Goodfellas," then he should have deserved two for "Casino," where he's in even better form. DeNiro also shines in his role as Rothstein, looking dapper in his flawlessly-tailored suits. But the film's revelation is Sharon Stone, who radiates as De Niro's love. She was rightfully nominated for an Oscar, but, to this day, she has never since had a role worth our while as this. Scorcese snobs will roll their eyes and call this film "Goodfellas"-lite, but, at nearly 3 hours, it's good enough to glue your eyes to the screen.

If you don't have my money for me, I'll crack your...
In many ways, Casino is the epic Goodfellas could not be. Casino is about relationships between characters in and around organized crime and gambling, and it's about the arc that an entire city of pleasure takes over these people.

It's Scorsese and Pileggi and DeNiro and Pesci and Frank Vincent again and it's a top-notch, gorgeous gangster epic.

In the early 70s the Chicago Outfit sends Sam 'Ace' Rothstein out to Las Vegas to manage the casinos they're skimming cash from. Ace is a gambling master, a sure-bettor who never loses; soon the Tangiers is raking in more dough than ever due to his management. In order to better 'manage', the Outfit also sends Nicky Santoro, a crafty but hot-headed soldiers (Pesci) to Vegas, to provide the muscle. Pretty soon Pesci is smacking people around, stabbing them with pens, putting their heads in vices, and even vandalizing their cars (not to mention flat-out threatening to crack their heads open) all as he looks to set up his own empire away from the Dons in the Midwest.

When Ace marries a call girl named Ginger (Sharon Stone) and attempts to start a family, things start going downhill. Ginger is still involved with her old pimp, for one. And let me pause to mention that James Woods has played possibly the sleaziest, most disgusting rat pimp of all time, from the subtleties like his mustache and mesh shirt to his cheap talk and bullying threats. Eventually, Ace, Nicky, Ginger, Nicky's Vegas crew, they all manage to bring the house crashing down on them.

This is all based on the true story of the Chicago Mob in Las Vegas and the hold the families had on the big casinos. Pillegi's source book is an interesting account for sure, with more commentary from some minor characters in the film, giving it different angles than just the Deniro-Stone-Pesci trifecta.

The film looks gorgeous, it has to be one of Scorsese's biggest budgets. The 70s clothes, the cars, the settings--they manage to scrounge up enough un-touched 70s Vegas left, and they film in real casinos quite a bit.

The film is three hours long; there's a lot packed into this. Along the way it can be fun; the voiceover sequences of Ace describing the workings of a casino, or how people cheat (and get caught) playing blackjack, or the montage of Nicky's gangster antics, all make this very engaging. The film is a lot bloodier than Goodfellas, and even had to be cut (during the infamous head-vice scene.)

This can't be recommended highly enough, HOWEVER, once again we have a very lame DVD, not as bad as Goodfellas, but not much better. You don't have to flip this one over, but for a three hour film, there are far too FEW chapters, making it very frustrating if you want to watch certain portions again. There's a trailer, wow! There's also some text you can read on the production and the stars, but quite frankly, that is one of the lamest features they try to put on discs. Can't they simply print production notes in a booklet?

If you haven't seen this or Goodfellas, come out of the cave. If you listen to some people who say 'It's like Goodfellas, but not as good', well, you can let them think for you. It's as good as Goodfellas, and arguably better.

And Joe Pesci has some of the most choice swearing lines...

Crippled American Version
This is a great movie that deserves a better dvd treatment. The layout and features are extremely vanilla. Not since Dracula have I see such a vhs content type dvd. Maybe in the future it will get a proper treatment in a boxset but in its current condition this release shouldn't be purchased to accompany any collection.

Also its important to note that this is not the uncut version. So far the only uncut version of this classic to make it to dvd is the Australian release.

A Scorsese Masterpiece.
'Casino' is a dominant film which is based on the true story of how Las Vegas was transformed from a simple gambling mecca into a place that has as much personality and colour as Disney World. Robert De Niro stars as a casino owner who is on the ground-level of the city's change. He is a high-class crook who's able to turn profits with the help of the mafia and crooked gaming practices (a norm for all casinos). Joe Pesci is on hand as the mob assassin with the short fuse who is De Niro's right-hand man. However, no one stays on top forever and De Niro's demise is partly due to his ex-prostitute wife (Sharon Stone, in her Oscar-nominated role). Bad decision-making, shady dealings, and questionable alliances will also be key factors in his ultimate downfall. Once again Martin Scorsese has created a film that is so multi-layered and smart that the viewer is completely engrossed for the entire 182 minutes.

'Casino' is a crime epic, in close contrast with 'The Godfather' series of films. Scorsese accomplishes what he did with 'Raging Bull' and 'GoodFellas'. Once again De Niro and Pesci shine with his direction and the unrelenting screenplay. Sharon Stone does the best work of her career. She does not necessarily shine brighter than De Niro and Pesci, but she holds her own and never lets either of them steal her thunder and lightning. Another great thing about 'Casino' is the supporting cast: Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, James Woods, and Joe Bob Briggs all add great elements of both comedy and drama to this outstanding winner which has been overlooked on Scorsese's list of credits.

Pretty Good Movie
This one doesn't measure up in any meaningful sense to "Goodfellas" (one of the greatest films of all-time).
However I just wanted to voice my sentiments regarding one magnificent scene that gives me a bit of a vicarious thrill; when Pesci's character Nick Santoro (based on the true life mob enforcer Tony Spilotro) confronts the banker: "...I don't think you realize what it is that I do for a living. If I go down to your bank tomorrow and you don't have my money I'll bust your fckin' head open. And just about the time you're getting out of your coma I'll be getting out of jail and I'll bust your fckin' head open again. See, that's the business I'm in..."

I think just about every poor, working class and middle class person has had the urge to sound off to a bank official like that on at least one occasion.

Also Sharon Stone's legs are quite easy on the eyes. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

It would be a mistake to call Kundun a disappointment, or a film that director Martin Scorsese was not equipped to create. Both statements may be true to some viewers, but they ignore the higher purpose of Scorsese's artistic intention and take away from a film that is by any definition unique. In chronicling the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, Kundun defies conventional narrative in favor of an episodic approach, presenting a sequential flow of events from the life of the young leader of Buddhist Tibet. From the moment he is recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 to his exile from Tibet in the wake of China's invasion, the Dalai Lama is seen as an enlightened spiritual figurehead. This gives the film its tone of serenity and reverence but denies us the privilege of admiring the Dalai Lama as a fascinating human character. There's a sense of mild detachment between the film and its audience, but its visual richness offers ample compensation. In close collaboration with cinematographer Roger Deakins, Scorsese filmed Kundun with great pageantry and ritual, and meticulous attention to details of costume, color, and the casting of actual Buddhist monks in the scenes at the Dalai Lama's palace. Certain images will linger in the memory for a long time, such as the Dalai Lama's nightmarish vision of standing among hundreds of dead monks, their lives sacrificed in pacifist defiance of Chinese aggression. Is this a film you'll want to watch repeatedly? Perhaps not. But as a political drama and an elegant gesture of devotion, Kundun is a film of great value and inspirational beauty--one, after all, that perhaps only Scorsese could have made. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (90)

wonderful
Other than the original 1950's "Seven Years in Tibet," which offered incredible first hand footage of H.H. the Dalai Lama from Heinrich Himmler, Scorsese's "Kundun" is the most definitive film on the life, trials, and tribulations of Tibet's Spritiual and Political ruler.

Scorsese's skills, as always, are first rate in the film. The photography, amazing for the original vhs or theater version, is even more amazing in the dvd version. Of course, the fact that Tibet is a beautiful country helps, but the angles and shots that Scorsese uses only accentuates the natural beauty all the more.

The film itself chronicles the life of H.H. The Dalai Lama from his discovery at the age of 2, the meticulous tests that go with the Buddhist traditions to be sure that Kundun is indeed the 14th Dalai Lama, etc. through to the dark days of post WWII, where Mao-led China declares that Tibet is a Chinese province and forcably annexes Tibet, to H.H. having to leave Tibet for the safer lands of India. All parts of the film are historically accurate, as H.H. lent his cooperation to the script and film itself. The co-operation of H.H. gives the film absolute legitimacy.

Scorsese's portrait of Kundun is that on an enlightened monk (which indeed, a Dalai Lama is), and some people will argue that the human side of H.H. is not painted in the film. I disagree with that assertion- indeed, the scene where H.H. dreams of being amongst monks who were killed for their pacifism, is an all too real image of absolute humanity. The fact that H.H. wanted to stay in Tibet and not flee to India is another sign of his humanity. While Scorsese looks apon H.H. as a spiritual leader, he does not leave out the human factor at all.

The film is boosted by a brilliant score by American minimalist composer Philip Glass, whose music accentuates the otherworldly quality of certain scenes, and keeps the overall dramatic nature of the film intact.

If you see one film of H.H. the Dalai Lama, choose "Kundun." Scorsese's work is brilliant, as is the acting by the cast of Tibetan unknowns, which adds more credence to the overall experience. Add Philip Glass and H.H. himself to the mix, and the overall experience is unparalleled.

Great Movie. Watch it again.
I found this this film quite astonishing. The way the Dalai Lama is presented from its early childhood discovery of Reting Rinpoche, and how the costumes are just beautiful. What stood out most in my mind was the Oracle scenes, and how the beauty of the Potala palace in Tibet. The acting of Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong is amazing, I fell in love with the compassion, thoughts and lines in this movie. The music is neither disturbing nor irritating, it simply was perfect. I recommend this video for anyone who want to catch a glimpse of tibetan buddhism imagery and just have a great time watching a film about the Dalai Lama.
As for the truthfulness of this film, since I'm aware of the dramatic licenses made here, I really could care less. Scorcese directing is superb, and I would sure hell watch this film again.

Skewed vision.
A lot of criticism levelled at 'Kundun' seems to fall into 2 categories. For some purists the movie is far too Hollywood, while for a lot of movie-goers, it's just not Hollywood enough. For one not familiar with Tibetan history, 'Kundun' gives a very one-sided view of events that occured at that time. The Tibetan hierarchy are portrayed as predominantly passive and peace-loving, seemingly free from any kind of authoritarian thinking. This may have been misleading. Martin Scorsese has admitted himself that he is not an authority on Tibetan history and the fact that the production of the film was overseen by the Dalai Lama himself gives some indication as to how the film was to convey a very specific outlook.

One could be forgiven for thinking that Tibet had all the vastness of Rhode Island, so centered is the film on the small, enclosed world of the Dalai Lama's upbringing. Bernardo Bertolucci's 'The Last Emperor' was much more successful at conveying the political intricacies that surrounded it's subject. For an objective viewpoint 'Kundun' is not the film to see.

On the other hand you have to ask yourself would the same amount of cynicism be aroused if this film was based around a major figure in Judaism, Christianity or Islam.

Having said all that, from a purely cinematic point of view 'Kundun' glows with beautiful cinematography, a spellbinding score by Phillip Glass and some pretty believable performances by previously non-actors.

Aristotle Would Call This Film "Epideictic Rhetoric"
Some novels, films, plays, poems, sculptures, music, dances, and paintings are meant to entertain us in various ways, and some are meant to alter our outlooks on the world we live in. This film belongs to the latter category. Specifically, it's an instance of what Aristotle called "epideictic rhetoric"--a work constructed to make us respect and admire (or disrespect and look down on) some person(s) or thing(s). In this case, as most reviewers notice, most of us come away feeling that we greatly respect and admire the Dalai Lama, who has developed into a highly enlightened and compassionate person DESPITE (or because of) great adversity. While our govt. has eagerly sucked up to Red China (which is guilty of "human rights abuses" against its own citizens as well as Tibetans), Martin Scorsese courageously unmasks the villains--none of that "most favored nation" stuff for him (which is why Red China has singled him out and forbidden him to go to Tibet). The film is genuinely touching and beautifully filmed. My only fault-finding with it is that the current Dalai Lama is presented as being IN FACT a reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lamas. Although I've been a Buddhist for over 40 years, I don't believe in reincarnation and doubt that many other viewers of this film--Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, etc.--do either; this COULD have been presented as part of a "belief system" and not as a "factual" condition. (Next time you watch one of the 57 different film versions of the crucifying of Jesus, look to see whether the director's approach is naturalistic or supernaturalistic and how that makes a difference on the impact. And look for the same factor next time you watch the Indiana Jones films, which are meant to entertain us. That may partly explain why the second of these films, which uses a non-Judeo-Christian array of beliefs as FACTUAL is usually rated lower than the other two.)

A visual and musical poem of an important religious leader
Because of his place in American Pop Conciousness, the Dali Lama too often suffers from shallow treatment and cartoonish representation because of his association with famous personalities. In reality, he is a serious religious figure and deserves serious treatment. This movie is a serious and, I think, beautifully poetic attempt to tell the story of his youth through his escape from Tibet into exile as the Communist Chinese closed their grasp on his sad homeland. The images are powerful and the Philip Glass score supports the visual means of telling the story very well.

I have no idea how much of the miraculous nature of the selection of Kundun as the Dali Lama or his remembering of his previous lives is based in perceived reality or is just poetry, but certainly the Dali Lama deserves some iconographical treatment.

For me, a most powerful scene occurs when Kundun has his last conversation with Mao and finally realizes his betrayal. In this scene Mao tells him that religion is poison in a most callous and condescending manner. In this, I see the emptiness of modern materialism and its inability to see anything of value in the spiritual and traditional. There is blindness in materialism's view favoring the new and the present as necessarily being progress over the past. It sees technology as always an improvement (it is the flip side of the coin of those who believe that all technology is soulless and evil).

This isn't an adventure film and certainly nothing like Scorsese's more famous and violent films. But I think he has accomplished something beautiful here and I have enjoyed watching it several times.

"Seven Years in Tibet" tells the same story a bit differently and less poetically and has the complication of the Brad Pitt's character being, well, a Nazi. But I think seeing both movies adds to one's understanding rather than seeing either of them alone. ... Read more

Description

This motion picture event from acclaimed director Martin Scorsese earned 10 Academy Award(R) nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, along with 5 Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Song! Leonardo DiCaprio (TITANIC), Cameron Diaz (CHARLIE'S ANGELS), and Daniel Day-Lewis (THE BOXER) star in this epic tale of vengeance and survival! As waves of immigrants swell the population of New York, lawlessness and corruption thrive in lower Manhattan's Five Points section. After years of incarceration, young Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) returns seeking revenge against the rival gang leader (Day-Lewis) who killed his father. But Amsterdam's personal vendetta becomes part of the gang warfare that erupts as he and his fellow Irishmen fight to carve a place for themselves in their newly adopted homeland! ... Read more

Reviews (497)

Martin Scorsese's epic spectacle has its flaws
Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, based on Herbert Asbury's 1928 history catalog, is a rendition of New York's political and racial madness that lasted from the mid-19th century to the Civil War. His film is both a brutal epic and a breathtaking spectacle. The accomplishments displayed in the film's authentic design (the production was designed by Dante Ferretti), masterful art direction and set decoration, costume design (by Sandy Powell), and cinematography (by Michael Ballhaus) are quite meritorious and mesmerizing (in fact, the elaborate sets were constructed at Cinecitta in Rome). Furthermore, the performances delivered by the stellar cast are powerful and colorful. However, Gangs of New York has its flaws.

The movie's opening scene takes place in a nightmarish catacomb set beneath tenements. In the catacomb reside the violent "Dead Rabbits," a gang of Irish compatriots led by the fervent Irish-American Priest Vallon (played by Liam Neeson). The gang emerges from the catacombs onto snow-covered Five Points on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Here they face off with the "Nativists," a group of American-born rivals of the "Dead Rabbits," in a historical bloody gang battle of knives, swords, bayonets, cleavers, cudgels, axes, and shillelaghs.

During the vicious fight, the leader of the "Nativists," William "The Butcher" Cutting (played by Daniel Day-Lewis and known in Asbury's book as Bill Poole), slays Priest Vallon in the view of Vallon's young son, Amsterdam Vallon. Amsterdam escapes into an orphanage, portentously named Hellgate House of Reform. 16 years later, in 1863, Amsterdam (now played by Leonardo DiCaprio) leaves the orphanage in his 20s, returns to Five Points, and is intent on avenging his father by slaying the still-ruling Bill the Butcher. Amsterdam does not reveal his true identity to Bill and becomes a part of Bill's team. However, Bill begins to treat Amsterdam as a father would treat a son, and Amsterdam doesn't quite know what to think of Bill when the antagonist of Amsterdam, Bill the Butcher, gives accolades to Priest Vallon as being an admirable opponent.

Jay Cocks (who introduced Martin Scorsese to Robert De Niro and was also un-credited for his rewriting of the Titanic screenplay) wrote the story of Gangs of New York and co-wrote the screenplay with Steven Zaillian (whose great works as a writer include Schindler's List, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and Awakenings) and Kenneth Lonergan (whose equally commendable writing credits include You Can Count on Me and Analyze This). Because the talent of the screenwriters of this film is so very exceptional, it is no surprise that Gangs of New York is, for the most part, quite well-written. The dialogue of the characters is written both eloquently and realistically.

The ultimately auspicious aspect to Gangs of New York is the brilliant characters and their colorful and eccentric personalities. Cameron Diaz plays a likable, wily pickpocket named Jenny Everdeane, who is in love with both Amsterdam and Bill the Butcher. Brendan Gleeson plays the role of Monk, who is a fighter turned barber turned sheriff and who galvanizes the film with his authoritarian personality. John C. Reilly is in the role of the tyrannical police officer Happy Jack. Jim Broadbent delivers an appropriately subdued portrayal of the historical William "Boss" Tweed, the ruler of the notorious Tammany Hall and the seller and buyer of votes.

Daniel Day-Lewis eclipses everyone in his intense, ferocious, and frankly astonishing portrait of the bloodthirsty, albeit intelligent, Bill the Butcher. Day-Lewis provides the character with mannerisms that are elaborate, threatening, eccentric, and at times laced with humor. Bill the Butcher could have been a (slightly) hackneyed villain, but the talents of Day-Lewis make his character so wonderfully complex and over-the-top that Bill the Butcher is sure to become one of the great characters of modern cinema.

Despite the many strong aspects of Gangs of New York, the film has its imperfections. The opening battle scene plays more like a music video than the grandiose spectacle it was meant to be. In addition, along with the movie's sheer over-length, its major weakness is its meandering story (particularly towards the end of the movie).

It is not DiCaprio's performance that is flawed, it is his character. The protagonist Amsterdam Vallon lacks the ferocity and emotion that the characters which surround him possess, therefore, making his character more reserved and restrained in temperament and not a character that possesses more wild characteristics.

Martin Scorsese is ultimately one of the greatest story-tellers of cinema. His ambition is displayed via all of his films, and Gangs of New York is no exception. Gangs of New York is not a film by Scorsese that can be called "great," but it is nonetheless an accomplishment and a spectacle made on a grand scale and deserving of accolades.

A Spectacular Film!
Martin Scorsese has directed a moving and impressive film. He has captured the "feel" and "look" of New York City in the 1840s and 1860s, with incredible sets, a terrific script, and wonderful performances (particularly by Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher). The focus of the story is on the relationship between Bill (the nativist leader with a "patriotic" glass eye that he taps with a knife, and a butcher of animals and men) and Amsterdam (the young Irish-American, played by Leonardo DiCaprio). Bill kills the youngster's father, a priest (played all too briefly by Liam Neeson), then later makes Amsterdam his right-hand man (giving him pointers on maiming and killing), and finally becomes his enemy. Day-Lewis is magnificent in this role, which he plays with gusto, humor, and a wonderful accent. DiCaprio is less dynamic, but nevertheless effective as the son bent on revenge.

In the background, for most of the film, is the Civil War and its effects on the people of the city, especially the young Irish immigrants who must serve in the Union army.

I was forewarned about the violence in Gangs of New York. I am pleased to report that it was not excessively graphic. These were, after all, violent times, and draft riots and gang wars could not be shown as tea parties.

This was one of the best films that I saw in 2002, along with The Pianist, Frida, Adaptation, and Insomnia. Go and see it!

Watchable nonsense
Martin Scorcese's epic tale of gang warfare in New York at the time of the Civil War is an overblown, exaggerated account that is very watchable but ultimately fails as a cohesive story. I don't doubt that much of what happens in this film is inspired by fact, but I don't think that the actual participants looked quite as much like the cast of "The Road Warrior" as do the characters in this film. Take, for example, the main villain, William Cutting AKA Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). One of his eyes is a steel ball with an American eagle on it; he cut out the original to present as a gift to the man who gave him a magnificent beating. There's also a woman who has filed her teeth into fangs. And a guy whose club is notched to commemorate his victims. Star Leonardo DiCaprio's father (Liam Neeson) wore a priest's collar even as he marched into battle.

I have come to expect gritty realism from Scorcese, but in this film he goes way over the top. The enormous (and surprisingly well-lit) catacombs and cavernous interiors with ratty characters hanging from bamboo scaffolding seem like left-over shots from "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome". It often seems like a film made by a much less skillful director who is willing to sacrifice the reality of his scenario for a cool effect, a bit of dramatic posing, or some easy violence.

TECHNICALLY PERFECT, HOWEVER, THE PLOT HAS HIGHS AND LOWS.
"Gangs Of New York" was a film with huge expectations when the movie hit the screen in december of 2002. The fans of the great director Martin Scorsese were eager to see his latest film in years. Well, finally "Gangs Of New York" was in theaters and the movie got a lot of mixed reviews, and I think it's obvious why that happened. You make a movie with a long running time (almost 3 hours), with a plot based in a controversial book, you throw graphic violence and racism, and obviously you will offend a lot of people.

Those are the controversial elements in "Gangs Of New York", however the movie has a lot of things to talk about. This film has depth in almost every single technical aspect: the sets are beautiful and above all, they are very real. The costumes and makeup are very specific and believable. The music score was made by the always efficient Howard Shore. Most of the performances are excellent, specially Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill "The Butcher", he created one of the scariest villains in recent years, also he got a lot of acting awards for this role. Liam Neeson is outstanding in a brief, but essential role, he plays Priest Vallon. John C. Reilly as Happy Jack and Jim Broadbent as William "Boss" Tweed are also highlights in the cast.

Of course, there was a lot of controversy with the selection of Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading role, some might find him too weak and some might find him outstanding, I think that he did a good job in this movie, but this is not one of his best performances. The acting talent of Cameron Diaz had little use in this movie. The direction of Martin Scorsese was very good, because he had a lot of elements and he made a complex movie, not a lot of directors can make a convincing work with such a complicated material.

Now, the plot does have highs and lows. The opening scene is one of the most impressive battles in recent years, overall all the battles in the film are excellent. But I think that the movie could have been edited more efficiently, there are a lot of scenes that doesn't add continuity to the plot. The movie lengths almost 3 hours, I think that 130 minutes could have been more effective, but at the end of the day there are more good things in "Gangs Of New York" than flaws.

The DVD features are very interesting (if you liked the movie, of course), the audio commentary by Martin Scorsese is the highlight of the DVD features. The documentaries are very detailed and informative, they offer a lot of different perspectives. The Five Points study guide and the multi-angle sets are just amazing, almost make you feel like you are in there, so if you liked "Gangs Of New York" you are going to love the bonus disc.

"Gangs Of New York" may offend a lot of people because the movie tells a story about violence and obviously says that USA history is plagued with violence and racism since the beginning, but the movie also says that a lot of brave people fought to create the USA. So yes, the movie may be controversial but "Gangs Of New York" has too many good things, so rent it first, if you like the movie, this DVD is a must-own. Specially recommendable to fans of Martin Scorsese.

Overlong, overblown and over here!
Gangs of New York would have made a great 90 minute movie, but runs almost an hour and a half longer. An impressive fight scene near the start and a satisfactory one at the end cannot really compensate for the tedious dialogue and unconvincing meandering subplots.

Daniel Day-Lewis certainly steals what there is of the show with a compelling (if somewhat campy - check out that boo-hiss moustache!) depiction of Bill Cutter - the brutal bigoted leader of the "Native American" gang.

Leonardo Di Caprio though, horribly miscast as the orphaned "Amsterdam", leader of the "Dead Rabbits" generates about as much menace as Bambi, as he seeks revenge for the killing in a gang fight of his "da".

The love interest, provided by Cameron Diaz, as a rather stereotypical tart-with-a-heart (groan), simply doesn't convince or engage the viewer, who will probably be incongruously rooting for Day-Lewis by the end.

Despite the aforementioned fights, and a couple of other semi-memorable scenes (DDL's knife-throwing was quite entertaining!) I cannot recall another movie where so little of interest occurs in almost 3 hours.

Very disappointing, but could still be salvaged with some intelligent cutting.

At least the DVD makes it easy for you to skip the tedious scenes, but I doubt if GONY will be worth repeat viewings.

Shame. An opportunity lost. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Taxi Driver is the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence. It is as if director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader had tapped into precisely the same source of psychological inspiration ("I just knew I had to make this film," Scorsese would later say), combined with a perfectly timed post-Watergate expression of personal, political, and societal anxiety. Robert De Niro, as the tortured, ex-Marine cab driver Travis Bickle, made movie history with his chilling performance as one of the most memorably intense and vividly realized characters ever committed to film. Bickle is a self-appointed vigilante who views his urban beat as an intolerable cesspool of blighted humanity. He plays guardian angel for a young prostitute (Jodie Foster), but not without violently devastating consequences. This masterpiece, which is not for all tastes, is sure to horrify some viewers, but few could deny the film's lasting power and importance. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (274)

WEAK LOOKING PRINT - POWERFUL FILM!
Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) has a big problem - and not just one. He's a seemingly ordinary New York cabbie who's stalking one woman, Betsy (Cybil Shepard) while playing savior to another, Iris (Jodie Foster). But ol' Trav' is just a few coins short of a full meter, a neurotic oversight that will allow him to turn vigilante, threaten the political reelection campaign of Senator Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris) and blow away Iris's pimp/drug dealer (Harvey Keitel). Suffice it to say, "Taxi Driver" is not your feel good movie of the summer. It is a cinematic snapshot of 70s pop culture gone horribly awry, with its crack and whore infested streets, its unstable social setting for easy scores and cheap sex, and a seething underbelly of corruption and dismal isolation as its acrid palette for moral decay. Travis' slow spiral into becoming the loner with a purpose is predicated upon warping the old adage and precedent that one man can make a difference. But when that one man is touched by his own sexual and financial inadequacies, his psychotic inability to bond with another human being and his self delusion - that he is on par with a deity, above the rest of humanity and the law - then the difference he can make is between destroying himself and bringing about the next apocalypse.
Martin Scorsese directs adeptly enough, drawing the viewer into this dark world of unsettling realities. The irony of the ending seems somewhat strained and rather a bit like the happy ending tack on associated with conventional Hollywood wisdom, but there is the frightening prospect that with a return to normalcy, Travis' alter ego is, like many a volcano, merely dormant, not dead, and destined to erupt in the future.

The transfer from Columbia is a rather disappointing remastering effort. There are moments when the color is bold, if dated, and moments when fine detail is generally realized to good effect. But the bulk of this video presentation is riddled with excessive grain - both film and digital, a barrage of compression artifacts, a lot of aliasing, some tiling, and a considerable amount of edge enhancement. Night scenes break apart with pixelization and exhibit a very muddy color scheme. There's plenty of age related dirt and grit to further detract from your viewing experience. The audio has been remastered - but just barely - with low to no bass and a really screechy high end that betrays the original mono elements. Extras include a 70 minute making of documentary with interviews featuring the director and principle cast, a photo montage, still gallery, theatrical trailer and storyboard sequences.

The Perfect Bad-Day at Work Movie
Now first off I should warn people that this is not a movie for all tastes. If the following offends you:

- Graphic, ultrarealistic violence.
- Porn films
- The idea of taking your date to a porn film.
- 12 year old hookers.
- Graphic language involving sex with a 12 year old.
- Graphic language in general.
- Racial slurs

...then don't watch this film.

OK, now that I sound like I'm giving the movie a bad rap, let me continue with the good stuff: this film is the only movie where you root for the depressed psycho stalker. It sounds incredible, but its true. Robert DeNiro's character Travis Bickle is described in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Colossal Guide as "an ordinary guy with a few problems." Few problems includes not being able to sleep, having a steady job as a taxi driver only because he has too, and dealing with his hatred for the world around him.

He attempts to change things by turning to a young woman working on a presidential campaign. What starts out great turns rotten after Travis tries to make her watch a porn film. Stalking her doesn't work, so he gives up and decides to take his rage on the corrupt New York of the time on some one else. That being the hoodlums toying with Jodie Foster, a 12 year old prostitute. He sets out to save her from life on the street - a one man war on prostituting minors.

Like I said, its the only movie where you cheer for the psycho.

Any way, you might wonder why I rank this "the perfect bad-day at work movie." Thats because it really is. Travis has to deal with customers having sex in the taxi or making him park the vehicle outside a house where they explain on killing some one. Travis doesn't like it, but its the only job he can have at the moment so he has to put up with the horrible conditions. Finally, he breaks free of his torment and gets back at in any way possible.

One night I came back after working an exhaustive 9 hour shift as a clerk for a grocery store. I had had a HORRIBLE day, so when I got home I popped this movie in my DVD player. I tell you, you never see Travis so much a hero as when you've had a horrible day at work and know just how he feels. Even if you feel disgusted by some of his actions, in reality we all have a bit of Travis in us all, and there are times when we all just wanna break out in, "Listen all you f***heads, you screw ups, this is the story of a man who would not take it any more..."

Taxi Driver
To start this off, I'll just say this: Do yourself a favor and buy this fantastic film. If for nothing else, buy it for DeNiro's INCREDIBLE performance! I'm a movie buff myself, and I have never seen such amazing acting. It's a crime he didn't win the oscar. Secondly, it's directed by Martin Scorsese, one of the more brilliant filmmakers of our time, and written by Paul Schrader. This is the team that brought you Raging Bull. When these two geniuses get together, they make pure movie magic. And finally, Jodie Foster. She's only fourteen years old, and beautifully brings to life the child prostitute who is secretly hating the horrible city she lives in. One of the most brilliant touches of filmmaking was made here when Scorsese portrays NYC as hell, such as focusing on the smoke spewing out of the sewers, and making Betsy, Travis Bickle's love, seem like an angel among all the demons.

The story goes something like this: Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) Is a taxi driver who can't seem to sleep. He works at night, and the city around him fills him with paranoia, for the gangsters and the slime on the streets at night every day seem to be everywhere. Among all of these demons and devils, Travis sees an angel, a gorgeous woman named Betsy. He immediately falls in love with her, but his anti-social tendencies scare her off when he brings her to a pornographic movie on their second date, thinking it was just like all of the other movies. When she leaves him and won't return any of his phone calls, his depression rises until he meets a child prostitue named Iris (Jodie Foster) and her pimp named Sport (Harvey Keitel). Feeling the deepest sympathy for her, he tries to help her leave that terrible lifestyle, not believing her pleas that she loves her being a prostitute and loves her pimp.

To sum this whole review up, do yourself a favor and watch this great piece of work. See Scorsese's nightmarish vision of NYC, and Travis Bickle's slow descent into insanity.

Taxi Driver - A disturbing experience
After watching the classic 1976 film "Taxi Driver," viewers may be interested in their reaction. It can be depressing. Martin Scorsese directed this open-sore of a film and of his many classic works, this is the one most obsessively analyzed. "Taxi Driver" is such a raw, visceral experience that after viewing its nightmarish terrain one must decompress.

Seedy does not begin to describe the horror of "Taxi Driver," which details a world of pimps, prostitutes, drug addicts and a loner psycho brilliantly portrayed by Robert De Niro. This film established some of the great talents in motion picture history including De Niro, Scorsese, Albert Brooks and Jodie Foster. I wonder about disturbing epics like "Taxi Driver," "A Clockwork Orange," "Straw Dogs" and "Natural Born Killers." Whenever I visit the video store, I notice these films are usually checked out, empty boxes leaning against the shelf. Who's watching these films, and why so often? The films share a common thread in that they have likable actors (De Niro, Malcolm McDowell, Dustin Hoffman, Woody Harrelson) playing despicable men prone to violent rages. Alienated one and all, these characters have become anti-heroes for a world severely lacking in heroes. There are so many ways to view this film, with multiple levels serving as proof to its complicated brilliance. Urban alienation, cultural emptiness, veiled racism, Watergate analogy and Oswald repression are just a few of the metaphorical doors one can open in this nightmare.

De Niro's Bickle is a Vietnam veteran suffering from insomnia. He takes a job as a cab driver to work nights, driving through the most dangerous New York neighborhoods for fares. He becomes infatuated with a beautiful woman (Cybill Shepherd) who works at the campaign office of Palantine. Bickle takes the woman to a porno theater on their first date, and she dumps him immediately. To no one's surprise, Bickle soon begins to stalk her. He purchases a deadly arsenal of hand guns and intensely works out in preparation for his assassination of Palantine (and most likely the woman too). Along the way, Bickle stumbles across a 12-year old prostitute (Foster) whom he befriends. His attempted assassination fails and he walks over to the prostitute's home and kills her pimp (Harvey Keitel), landlord and an unlucky gangster. "Taxi Driver" unbelievably ends with the prostitute having been returned to her parents and Bickle becoming an inner-city folk hero. Shepherd's character tries to make a date with Bickle, but he's now at peace with the inferno around him and drives on disinterested.

This ending has been debated for years. It is so controversial that when the film first ran on television, stations posted warnings stating they did not consider Bickle a hero. They're right. Bickle's a whacked-out cultural icon, granted, but he's no hero. He wants to be a hero, and perhaps the final scene is Bickle at the moment of death dreaming of a happy ending. He's essentially saved the day and rescued a damsel in distress. Bickle was seriously wounded after the shootout, having been shot in the neck. So it could have been a dream sequence, though Scorsese purposefully made it too vague to be entirely sure.

It's clear Bickle wishes to be a cowboy hero in "Taxi Driver," as seen by the boots he wears and the guns he straps on like an inner-city John Wayne. His famously improvised "You talkin' to me?" speech is in fact a line of dialog lifted from the classic 1953 western "Shane." And the final showdown has Bickle taking on three men (outnumbered a la Cooper in "High Noon") in a bloody, ferocious battle that to this day is one of the most violent scenes in history. Bickle, adorned in Mohawk and Army jacket, fires at random. The violence is so sloppy one gets the feeling they are viewing an actual crime scene. There is no music, only the jagged noises of constant screaming and guns blasting within closed-in spaces. While we love the balletic violence of the final shootout in "The Wild Bunch," we turn away from the gore in "Taxi Driver." It's as repellant as reality.

Scorsese's masterpiece is not intended for the young or emotionally disturbed. Bickle is not a hero in a film populated by an army of non-heroes. Still, viewers just might get confused. I know Bickle is crazy, but I feel sorry for him. At times, I even identify with him. And that can be depressing.

classic tag hides amoral and poor film
This film is manipulative and exploitative. It DOES NOT really give you a portrait of what alienation, paranoia and dislocation are really like. It glamourises these things in the worst possible way ie very, very slickly and with a lot of craft and attention to detail. This film belongs in the same dustbin as similarly AMORAL and empty films like Seven, Goodfellas et al that purport to be 'truthful' investigations of the dark and disturbing - they are part of the problem, not the solution ! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Martin Scorsese handles directing duties in this 1986 sequel to the classic 1961 film The Hustler, which marks the return of Paul Newman to the role of pool shark Fast Eddie Felson. Anxious to break into the big time again, Eddie finds a talented protégé (Tom Cruise) to groom; but with the addition of the latter's manipulative girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and the wild streak in Cruise's character, the trio make for a fascinating portrait in group psychology. The cast is brilliant, the script by Richard Price (Clockers) is a paragon of tightly controlled character study and drama (at least in the film's first half), and Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus make an ornate show of the collision and flight of pool balls through space--something of a metaphor for the dynamics among the three principals. The film is generally regarded as weaker in its second half, and rightly so, as everything that was interesting in the first place disappears. Still, Newman won a deserved Oscar for his performance. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (35)

The 9-Ball Rims The Pocket....Yet Doesn't Quite Fall
I love pool. I love to shoot it, to watch and study it.

I liked this movie, and to be truthful, this movie is what started my interest and desire to play pool. Of course I've seen The Hustler and it is a far superior movie, it just re-enforced my desire to play even more.

The Color Of Money is 20+yrs on from The Hustler. Fast Eddie is now a liquor salesman, and even though he's very good at it, the desire to play and return to shooting is still as strong in his blood as it was at end of The Hustler after whipping Minnesota Fats. Felson comes upon Vincent ( played by a young Tom Cruise ) and decides to take him under his wing to show him the ropes and the "hustles" that make the money in the pool halls.

Cruise is actually good as the "green" young apprentice and Newman is fabulous as the seasoned Felson. Newman does bring the same intensity to Fast Eddie which makes the clash of styles between him and Cruise extremely interesting in the first half of the movie.

I don't really care for the way the film pans out, with Newman getting hustled by a great Forrest Whittaker character, and especially the anti-climatic ending. Scorsese sets the film up for a big show down and ends it with nothing. What was the problem? Surely the studio could have afforded another 5 minutes of celluloid to see Fast Eddie beat Cruise... however this movie is enjoyable....but no matter how many times you watch it.... the 9 ball doesn't fall off the break.

my favorite movie of all time
This is my favorite movie ever (chased closely by Apocalypse Now). I have watched it dozens of times, and i never seem to get sick of it. I am an avid pool player, but you don't have to be one yourself to appreciate this masterpiece, which IMO rivals anything else Scorsese has done in his long distinguished career. The whole movie exudes style from start to finish, and Paul Newman is quite simply the epitome of cool. His performance is intense and laid-back at the same time, and he never over-acts (the most widespread chronic disease in Hollywood). Cruise is great as the young cocky upstart, Mastrantonio does an admirable job as his tough girlfriend, and the movie is sprinkled with a whole host of really great supporting performances, including one by Forrest Whitaker as the hustler who out-hustles the master, and a great (quick) one by Iggy Pop of all people in a barroom scene. The movie flows and is filled with energy, the cinematography is spectacular (in particular in a scene where the camera follows closely behind the pool balls as they scatter all over the table). Newman is as classy as he's ever been, and was wholly deserving of the Oscar for this performance. The plot is riveting, and takes us from ex-legend Fast Eddie Felson's discovery of a new prodigy (Cruise's character Vincent) through Vincent's initiation into the Art of Hustling and a whirlwind tour of east coast bars and poolhalls, all the way through to the stirring conclusion as the Master battles the Student in a winner-take-all final game of 9 ball. Perhaps my favorite scene is when, in the midst of an ongoing moral dilemma, Eddie looks down to take his shot and sees his reflection in the 8-ball. He pauses, then straightens up, unscrews his cue and forfeits the match, unable to face himself. The movie is funny, highly dramatic and inspiring all at the same time, and Martin Scorsese gives it his usual tough, no-frills, occasionally violent personal stamp to make it one of the most watchable pieces of cinema you will see in a long time. Maybe I'm biased since I grew up in New Jersey (near NYC), but I don't think so. The movie is a lot of fun, has a whole slew of fabulous performances, and is a must-see...

Money, Luck and Our Lady of the Cue Balls.
In this movie's opening voiceover, director Martin Scorsese explains that nine-ball pool, as you've probably guessed, comes down to one basic rule: You don't win without pocketing the 9. Partially this depends on the balls' spread in the break; i.e. on luck. But, Scorsese concludes with the credo of all high-stakes hustlers from poker to pool and beyond: "For some players, luck itself is an art."

Once, Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) mastered this art; a whiz kid out to beat champion Minnesota Fats, he had to learn some painful lessons instead. But that was 25 years ago - in 1961's "Hustler," to which "The Color of Money" is a belated sequel - and now it's "dead and buried." Now Eddie is a liquor salesman; even if he's still got the hustle down cold: just listen to him philosophizing about a bourbon's color, age and acidic content and I'll lay you any bet you'll be buying a case from him in no time at all.

Yet, Eddie keeps hanging around pool halls, and one day the inevitable happens: He runs into Vincent (Tom Cruise), almost a reincarnation of his younger self; a guy with a sledgehammer break and an "incredible flake," as Eddie opines less than charitably, cocky beyond belief but apparently unaware of his potential, preferring to perfect his video game reflexes on the theory that this might get him into West Point, instead of focusing on his greatest and, more importantly, only financially viable area of expertise: pool. Now, if Eddie has learned one thing it's that whatever your field, it *all* comes down to money; and the guy who's got the most of it is the best. But to get there, you have to be more than just excellent at what you do: You have to be a student of psychology, learn to take advantage of others, understand when to lose is actually to win; and if you're a "natural character" like Vincent, you have to learn to "flake on and flake off" - to be yourself, but on purpose. In short, it takes the right proportion of both brains and b*lls to win big at pool. All this, Eddie is determined to teach Vince, even if it takes some support from his girlfriend Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) to get him going. But eventually they do set out on the road, for a six-week high-intensity training in hustles and cons, with their eyes set on a high-stakes nine-ball tournament in Atlantic City at the end. And Eddie, once exploited by a ruthless promoter himself, dispenses tough love; all to drive home one crucial lesson: "Nice guys finish last;" and mercy towards *any* opponent is downright unprofessional.

Vincent, Carmen and Eddie make an unequal trio; they collide as often and as hard as cue balls, and it's a sheer joy to see these outstanding actors go up against each other: Cruise as the cocky kid who refuses to drop his ego trips, Mastrantonio as his tough-talking girlfriend, and Newman as the seasoned pro who suddenly gets goose-bumpy again when entering a pool room (even if to his shame he finds the place now used for furniture storage), rediscovers that money won is "twice as sweet" as money earned, and at last gets hungry enough to get back into the game himself, albeit at the price of first being hustled by a kid with a dumb-fat-underdog routine (brilliantly played by Forest Whitaker). For Tom Cruise, who left a lasting impression with 1983's "Risky Business" but otherwise only had a few middling movies under his belt at this point, this was a great opportunity to show his chops opposite one of the business's all-time greats, and he was more than up to the task. (Although he shot to superstardom the same year with "Top Gun," even here virtually all of his trademark mannerisms and voice inflections - particularly when playing cocky - are already fully present.) Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio earned Oscar- and Golden-Globe-nominations for her portrayal of Carmen, who clues into Eddie's "pool is business" lessons quicker than Vince and, after a first-hand education on the use of "that thing," finds ways through Vincent's cockiness where Eddie doesn't have access. Paul Newman finally netted his long-overdue Academy Award; thus belatedly making up for the undeserved pass for "The Hustler," after the Academy had summarily sugarcoated a total of seven unfulfilled nominations - and numerous award-worthy appearances that didn't even earn that kind of nod - with a lifetime achievement award the year before. (Newman accepted, but wasn't present at either ceremony.)

What makes this movie stand out, however, is not merely its tremendous cast, from the central trio to Helen Shaver (Eddie's girlfriend Janelle), John Turturro (Julian, the "stake horse" Vincent replaces in Eddie's favor), Scorsese's dog Zoe (credited as "dog walkby"!), Iggy Pop, and several top pool players, e.g. Steve "The Miz" Mizerak, Jimmy "Pretty Boy Floyd" Mataya (together with wife Eva also technical advisor) and Keith McCready (Vincent's nemesis Grady Seasons). Moreover, nobody could have captured the pool halls' dingy allure, a trick shot's swift precision and the balls' movement over the table quite like Michael Ballhaus - there's a reason they call him "Hollywood's Eye." And then there's the score, by the "Band's" ringleader Robbie Robertson; featuring contributions from a virtual who-is-who of rock and blues's all time greatest, including Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Don Henley, Warren Zevon, Phil Collins, Robert Palmer and Percy Sledge; pointedly framing all key scenes and doubling the edge of the cue balls' and characters' collisions alike.

The movie's ending may appear anticlimactic, as the story seems to build up to a showdown which we never get to see. But for Eddie, it's ultimately about going up against Vince's best game - and the only thing that matters is that he's back, and there to stay for the duration this time. And no question: back he certainly is.

A Complex Classic
After having seen this movie many times, I came to realize it has more than one "level." It is a "good" movie as pure light entertainment. However, when you really study the movie during several viewings, you realize Scorsese is telling us, through lots of metaphors, what motivates people as they travel through life. At this level, this movie is an outstanding classic.

Some other reviewers don't like the ending; I think it is perfect. However, there is a critical scene that, if missed or misunderstood, gives the film a different meaning. That scene is near the end where Vince (Cruise) says Felson (Newman) has used Vince and his girlfriend. Felson admits this is true. This is a critical explanation of the plot. Fast Eddie Felson was forced to stay out of pool rooms for many years (see the ending of The Hustler). After more than 25 years, he is searching for a pool player that might be good enough to beat Fast Eddie Felson (Minnesota Fats is no longer around). Fast Eddie Felson develops and trains Vince so Fast Eddie will have someone play against. After 25+ years, Fast Eddie is still trying to be the best, but he needs a worthy opponent. At the same time, Fast Eddie has to train and regain his own skills. At the end of the movie, even if he loses to Vince, he will keep trying to get better until he can eventually win. But, at least he has a worthy opponent. Until he discovered Vince, he knew there was probably no one he could not eventually beat.

One other suggestion: Some reviewers complained about the sound. Try listening to the movie using a very good pair of headphones. You will be amazed at what you hear. Also, for those who might not know, the musical score was by Robbie Robertson, the leader of The Band.

In summary, this movie is on my list of the top 5 ever made.

He's Back!
Paul Newman's back as Fast Eddie Felson, crackshot pool hustler. This is the sequel to the 1961 classic "The Hustler" (a film I still have to see.) Fast Eddie is back 25 years later; wiser, sharper, and better-looking than ever... This time, he's mentor to a naive, yet obnoxious, Tom Cruise. He finds out from Eddie he still has a lot to learn. The two make a cool pair. No wonder Newman won the Oscar for this one, although he should've won years earlier. One of his best performances. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium, which reflects his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction and costume design suggests an impassioned pursuit of craftsmanship from a bygone era; every frame seems to glow with gilded detail. And while DiCaprio bears little physical resemblance to Hughes from the film's 20-year period (late 1920s to late '40s), he efficiently captures the eccentric millionaire's golden-boy essence, and his tragic descent into obsessive-compulsive seclusion. Bolstered by Cate Blanchett's uncannily accurate portrayal of Katharine Hepburn as Hughes' most beloved lover, The Aviator is easily Scorsese's most accessible film, inviting mainstream popularity without compromising Scorsese's artistic reputation. As compelling crowd-pleasers go, it's a class act from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (151)

As entertaining as a story of Howard Hughes can be
It was bound to happen.Even in death, Howard Hughes remains capable of drawing different reviews about his life.This film, if nothing else, reflects how Hughes did things his own way and created his fortune by walking to the beat of his own drum.Does that create sound entertainment?Probably not.But it did create the right mixtures for Hughes to be one of the nation's most memorable millionaires in history.

The film attempts to explain the factors that made Hughes different and eccentric.From his mother warning him of the dangers of germs that forever would haunt him with each spec of dust caught by his ever cautious eyes, to the need to possess of the cheesecakes of his era, including Katherine Hepburn...not an easy catch by any means...to his attempt to take on congress and the U.S. government system as a whole.Had Hughes ever attempted to play the "game" he probably would have been more successful, yet his memory would never have been as enduring as it is now.

The acting in the film is decent.DiCaprio gives a strong performance, given the limitation of the character he was playing and Cate Blanchett steals the scenes with her memorable interpretation of a very complicated Katherine Hepburn.One almost forgets that the root of the story, and Hughes passion, was truly flying over profits.An entertaining story of a man whose image and memories will never die.


Frederick A. Babb

The Best Picture of 2004...Despite What the Academy Says
It's like a broken record.Once again director Martin Scorsese is denied the Oscar by an inferior film.What is it that the Academy has against Scorsese?My theory is that he makes film's that are very personal to him that do not kowtow to the latest fashion or political correctness that prevails in Hollywood.His only consolation is that his film's have a durability that the so-called winning film's lack."The Aviator" works not only as epic film-making but as an incisive biography.The production values are stunning but they do not overwhelm the characters in the film.This film captures the complexities that were Howard Hughes, a man so larger-than-life that if he didn't exist you would have to invent him.The film conveys the inner workings of Hughes, the drive, ambition and, yes, the madness that threatened to overwhelm his dreams.Scorsese was fortunate to have Leonardo DiCaprio portray Hughes.Not since Robert DeNiro assayed Jake LaMotta in "Raging Bull" has there been an actor who immersed himself so thoroughly into a character.Sorry Jamie Foxx, but DiCaprio gave the best performance by an actor last year.Cate Blanchett, deserving of her Oscar, gives a multi-hued sympathetic turn as Katharine Hepburn.I had always viewed Hepburn as something of a cold fish but this film was the impetus for me discovering some of her filmwork.As always, Scorsese provides an interesting and informative commentary on the DVD.He is abetted by his always engaging film editor Thelma Schoonmaker on the commentary track.Scorsese has such an impressive resume of films that it is difficult at this time to see how "The Aviator" ranks.That said, it is not a film I will easily forget.

Not Scorsese's best
My husband and I rented "The Aviator" and watched it for the first time last night. Actually, we finished watching it last night; I fell asleep partway through it the night before, so we'd stopped. I can see why it was nominated for and won several Academy Awards, but I just wasn't that impressed overall; it seemed more or less just another overrated, overblown film like "Titanic". And yes I know how popular and award-winning "Titanic" was. I didn't like that movie much either, and it may be partly because I am not a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, and certainly not Celine Dion's music; I think if I hear that "Titanic" song one more time my head is going to explode. DiCaprio is arguably a very good actor, and he was great in "Catch Me If You Can" and other roles he's tackled. But his performance in "The Aviator" seemed somewhat forced to me; he never fully embodied the part.

Next, I'll have to eat some crow. I was indignant about the idea of any actress portraying my personal favorite, Katharine Hepburn. How dare they! How could anyone do it! Blasphemy! But I was wrong. Cate Blanchett's performance, which won her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, was excellent; hypnotic. Her impersonation of Katharine Hepburn's voice was spot-on; the mannerisms were done well for the most part, if a little over-the-top. However, since Kate Hepburn was something of an oversized personality herself, it's probably like trying to impersonate Bette Davis; it's hard not to overdo.

With Scorsese's background including films such as "Mean Streets", "Taxi Driver", and "Casino", I guess the bar is raised pretty high. But the gritty tone of his usual direction was missing here, possibly lost in the somewhat sentimental showcasing of old-Hollywood movie stars.

The special effects were eye-boggling, especially the crash scene. But as the credits rolled, I was left with a feeling of "Oh, okay, it's over." Somehow hollow, like I was supposed to be satisfied with all the glitz and show and special effects and watching actors (and a singer) imitate long-dead celebrities is fun, but that's just not enough.

Hughes at His Peak But Epic Biopic Not Quite a Masterpiece
This is an audacious, surprisingly amusing piece of Hollywood filmmaking by a veteran craftsman of the first magnitude, yet for a number of reasons, not necessarily of Martin Scorsese's sole doing, the movie does not resonate as much as you wish it would. In staying true to the spirit of multimillionaire magnate Howard Hughes between the late 1920's and the late 40's, Scorsese and screenwriter John Logan are stuck with the facts as they happened, and consequently, the film feels episodic with a great, sometimes dazzling story in the first 2/3 of its epic 166-minute running time and a pedantic, only occasionally involving last hour.

You need to have some familiarity with Hughes' life to understand his halcyon years proving himself as a Hollywood tycoon worthy of respect, and his legendary excess during the three-year production of the now-forgotten "Hell's Angels" is captured perfectly here with truly thrilling aviation sequences. Scorsese then focuses on Hughes' romance with Katharine Hepburn and captures the oddball chemistry of burgeoning eccentrics amid the frenzied environment of studio-owned Hollywood, in particular, the Cocoanut Grove nightclub. These sequences remind me a lot of Scorsese's failed musical, "New York, New York", but this time he seems far more assured. Ava Gardner enters the picture in the forties, as Hughes builds luxury airplanes that can't fly and his obsessions and paranoia start to take over. There's a magnificently filmed sequence of Hughes crashing his XF-11 plane in the middle of Beverly Hills.

Once he recovers from this incident, the film starts to drag, as the story shifts focus to the power struggles in positioning Hughes' airline TWA against the European-route monopoly of Pan Am and the machinations of Pan Am CEO Juan Trippe and the corrupt Maine senator Owen Brewster who investigates Hughes' WWII government contracts. Even the legendary mini-flight of the Spruce Goose fails to excite this late in the story. Only Scorsese's famous "Taxi Driver"-like, mind-bending touch brings off the surrealism of the sequences where Hughes locks himself up in his room. The film ends rather anticlimactically with Hughes' successful 1947 appearance before Brewster's committee before he drowns in his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Leonardo DiCaprio's chief asset as an actor is his intensity of purpose, and as Hughes, he has plenty of opportunities to display this attribute with his character's obsessions with aviation, moviemaking, glamorous movie stars and ultimately germs. What he is missing is a level of gravitas that would have made his character's increasing eccentricities more bearable to watch. Even though the reed-thin Texas-tinged voice is accurate, there is something perpetually juvenile about DiCaprio's appearance regardless of the twenty-year span of the story. This unfortunately compromises the chemistry between him and the obviously more mature Cate Blanchett, who initially seems to be crossing the border into parody as Hepburn. She displays the familiar brusque manner without caution and even affects the recognizable voice but with an inaccurate throatiness that belies the legendary actress' high, fluttery pitch at the time. But she eventually finds her grounding, especially as she recognizes their too-similar personalities and softens during the Hepburn family gathering scene.

With less to do, the too-patrician Kate Beckinsale is in over her head as Ava Gardner, unable to convey the real actress' palpable sultriness or predatory voraciousness without posturing. On the other hand, Alec Baldwin is becoming a strong character actor with every new film, and he plays Trippe with disquieting authority. John C. Reilly plays assistant Noah Dietrich in his typically hangdog fashion as he subsists more in the shadows. Alan Alda plays Brewster with Hawkeye's familiar mannerisms unafraid to show the underlying sliminess of his character. All the externals are impressive - Thelma Schoonmaker's sharp editing (the pacing never drags...just the story), Robert Richardson's cinematography, Dante Ferretti's production design, Sandy Powell's costumes. Yet for all of this, the movie falls short as a masterwork in Scorsese's filmography. This is a film to respect and not to love.

The first disc has an excellent commentary track by Scorsese, Schoonover and producer Michael Mann - all full of insights without being pedantic. The number of extras on the second disc of the two-DVD set is staggering, really too much for anyone except for those deeply interested in Hughes. There is one deleted scene and twelve separate featurettes and documentaries covering everything from the production to Hughes' role in aviation to OCD to the music. Beyond the sheer number, my complaint about the set is that it's hard to maneuver around the decidedly viewer-unfriendly menus.

"Bring in the milk!"
Let me state a few facts about myself and, in doing so, set up a very sincere question about "The Aviator."

1) I'm a huge fan of Howard Hughes, an absolute buff on the guy.I've read two biographies of him and have to say he's one of the most interesting historical figures of the past century: His brilliance, his wealth, his flaws, his successes, his peculiarities and the periods in which he lived all combine to create a fascinating figure.

2) I'm a tremendous fan of Martin Scorsese.He's made some of my favorite movies and I think he's probably one of the top five greatest directors working today.There's just something about the way he photographs images and people that makes even his worst movies worthwhile.

3) I also think Leonardo DiCaprio is a really good actor, a fact that has been publicly obscurred (but not hampered) by the "Titanic" hype and by some poor choices (or lack of choices, in recent years).

4) And I think "The Aviator" was probably the best produced movie of 2004.The cast is excellent, the sets and costumes and designs are fabulous, the cinematography is exquisite.

So, THAT SAID, why didn't I like the movie more?It's an impressive achievement but I seem to appreciate the parts more than the whole.And as good as DiCaprio is, I think he may have been miscast.Only a star of his level could've gotten this kind of budget, but he simply doesn't look right in the part.It's not until after he grows a moustache that he really start to resemble Hughes.Most of the time, Hughes looked like a guy who was quietly trying very hard not to leap out of his skin but DiCaprio seems more intent on burrowing deeply *into* his body.
He just doesn't have the same kind of intrinsic uncomfortability.

Still, it's an impossible movie not to recommend.There are long stretches of space but every so often, there's a brilliant explosion. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Martin Scorsese does not sound like the logical choice to direct an adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about manners and morals in New York society in the 1870s. But these are mean streets, too, and the psychological violence inflicted between characters is at least as damaging as the physical violence perpetrated by Scorsese's usual gangsters. At the center of the tale is Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a somewhat diffident young man engaged to marry the very respectable May Welland (Winona Ryder). But Archer is distracted by May's cousin, the Countess Olenska (a radiant Michelle Pfeiffer), recently returned from Europe. As a married woman seeking a divorce, the countess is an embarrassment to all of New York society. But Archer is fascinated by her quick intelligence and worldly ways. Scorsese closely observes the tiny details of this world and this impossible situation; this is a movie in which the shift of someone's eyes can be as significant as the firing of a gun. The director's sense of color has never been keener, and his work with the actors is subtle. That's Joanne Woodward narrating, telling us only as much as we need to know--which is one reason why the climax comes as such a surprise.--Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (71)

An Extraordinary Film
Martin Scorsese is a genius. Even his worst films are far superior than almost everyone else's and The Age of Innocence is definitely one of his best. He brilliantly captures the spirit of Edith Wharton's novel without ever falling into melodrama and creates a claustrophobic society preordained by an endless set of rules, a world of seething passions beneath a calm and decorous surface where rebellion of any sort is inconceivable, social and familial considerations are paramount and a veneer of respectability must be maintained at all costs. This is a story about human passions clashing with the artificial rules imposed by society and the characters move in an environment so fragile that "it could be shattered by a whisper".

Martin Scorsese's direction recreates the affluent and extremely oppressive atmosphere of 19th century New York society in remarkable detail. A subtle and perceptive script, brilliant performances by Michelle Pfeiffer, Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder and the rest of the cast (Richard E. Grant, Mary Beth Hurt, Alec McCowen and the excellent Miriam Margolyes are especially good), and fabulous costumes and production design contribute to make this extraordinary film one of the best of its genre. Joanne Woodward's narration is excellent (she gets most of the best lines without ever appearing on screen) and Michael Ballhaus's cinematography is simply stunning - innovative, atmospheric and richly textured. Crisp yet seamless editing, amazing camerawork and beautiful music round off this absolutely brilliant, almost perfect film.

Beautiful!
This is quite possibly one of the most visually stunning period pieces ever filmed. From the gorgeous opening credits to the final, perfectly-composed shot, it is an aesthetic feast for any fan of the genre.

"The Age Of Innocence" is one of my personal favorites. The film stays remarkably true to the Wharton novel, fleshing out details and bringing the permeating emotion and atmosphere to life with exquisite cinematography, directing, and acting. Michelle Pfeiffer is superb as the free-spirited but (unknowingly) scandalous Ellen Olenska, and Daniel Day-Lewis provides a fine complement as Newland Archer (though I'd hesitate to call it his best work--he comes across as rather spiritless at times--that, and Pfeiffer steals the screen every shot she's in). Winona Ryder is somewhat forgettable next to Pfeiffer, but this could be considered in keeping with their characters.

However. "The Age Of Innocence", in the tradition of character-driven period pieces, does move at a slower pace and relies on subtext and subtleties (which the acting and direction exemplify well), which many people find boring. And at nearly two and a half hours, there isn't much action to sustain someone looking for an "escape" movie--unless, of course, you're escaping to the lush but restrained world of Old New York. Also, since this film is such a departure from other Scorsese pictures, fans of his violent urban dramas might be a little surprised.

However, if you've got some time you can dedicate to watching this aesthetically gratifying portrait of desire and sacrifice (and manipulation, how can we forget that?), I highly recommend you pick it up.

Love, Loneliness and the Strictures of Society.
Imagine living in a world where life is governed by intricate rituals; a world "balanced so precariously that its harmony [can] be shattered by a whisper" (Wharton); a world ruled by self-declared experts on form, propriety and family history - read: scandal -; where everything is labeled and yet, people are not; where in order not to disturb society's smooth surface nothing is ever expressed or even thought of directly, and where communication occurs almost exclusively by way of symbols, which are unknown to the outsider and, like any secret code, by their very encryption guarantee his or her permanent exclusion.

Such, in faithful imitation of Victorian England, was the society of late 19th century upper class New York. Into this society returns, after having grown up and lived all her adult life in Europe, American-born Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), after leaving a cruel and uncaring husband. She already causes scandal by the mere manner of her return; but not knowing the secret rituals of the society she has entered, she quickly brings herself further into disrepute by receiving an unmarried man, by being seen in the company of a man only tolerated by virtue of his financial success and his marriage to the daughter of one of this society's most respected families, by arriving late to a dinner in which she has expressly been included to rectify a prior general snub, by leaving a drawing room conversation to instead join a gentleman sitting by himself - and worst of all, by openly contemplating divorce, which will most certainly open up a whole Pandora's box of "oddities" and "unpleasantness": the strongest terms ever used to express moral disapproval in this particular social context. Soon Ellen, who hasn't seen such facades even in her husband's household, finds herself isolated and, wondering whether noone is ever interested in the truth, complains bitterly that "[t]he real loneliness here is living among all these kind people who only ask you to pretend."

Ellen finds a kindred soul in attorney Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), her cousin May Welland's (Winona Ryder's) fiance, who secretly toys with a more liberal stance, while outwardly endorsing the value system of the society he lives in. Newland and Ellen fall in love - although not before he has advised her, on his employer's and May and Ellen's family's mandate, not to pursue her plans of divorce. As a result, Ellen becomes unreachable to him, and he flees into accelerating his wedding plans with May, who before he met Ellen in his eyes stood for everything that was good and noble about their society, whereas now he begins to see her as a shell whose interior he is reluctant to explore for fear of finding merely a kind of serene emptiness there; a woman whose seemingly dull, passive innocence grinds down every bit of roughness he wants to maintain about himself and who, as he realizes even before marrying her, will likely bury him alive under his own future. Then his passion for Ellen is rekindled by a meeting a year and a half after his wedding, and an emotional conflict they could hardly bear when he was not yet married escalates even further. And only when it is too late for all three of them he finds out that his wife had far more insight (and almost ruthless cleverness) than he had ever credited her with.

Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize and the first work of fiction written by a woman to be awarded that distinction, "The Age of Innocence" is one of Edith Wharton's most enduringly popular novels; the crown jewel among her subtly satirical descriptions of New York upper class society. Martin Scorsese reportedly lobbied hard to bring the novel to the screen under his direction; and what at first looks like an odd match for the director of "Goodfellas," "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver" turns out to be a masterpiece of understanding of the intricate workings of this world; a visual feast splendidly realized by cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and production and costume designers Dante Ferretti and (Oscar-winning) Gabriella Pescucci; reminiscent of a period tableau, where a dinner table's immaculate symmetry expresses society's outwardly perfect facade, a person's character is mirrored in the paintings they own, their house's interior decoration, the way they dress and the flowers they receive, and where, like in the novel, the protagonists' relationships are choreographed to coincide with the pivotal moments of the stage performances they attend, such as Charles Gounod's opera "Faust" and Dion Boucicault's play "The Shaughraun;" a rare feat of psychological insight into the novel's every character, from the three flawlessly portrayed principals (of whom only Winona Ryder won a Golden Globe and a National Board of Review Award, although all three of them would have been equally deserving) to the just as critical supporting roles, played by an all-star cast including Miriam Margolyes, who earned a BAFTA Award for her portrayal of unconventional society matriarch (nay, dowager-empress) Mrs. Manson Mingott, Richard E. Grant ("form" expert Larry Lefferts), Alec McCowen (scandalmonger Sillerton Jackson), Stuart Wilson and Mary Beth Hurt (disreputable financier Julius Beaufort and his wife Regina), Geraldine Chaplin (May's mother), Sian Phillips (Newland's mother), Michael Gough and Alexis Smith (society doyens Henry and Louisa van der Luyden), Robert Sean Leonard (Newland and May's son Ted), Jonathan Pryce (Olenski's secretary Riviere) and Norman Lloyd (Newland's senior law partner Letterblair).

Scorsese's movie is sometimes criticized for its use of a narrator (Joanne Woodward). But Woodward's voiceovers not only capture Wharton's subtly ironic tone to absolute perfection; her narration also provides a gentle frame to a story which could easily become fractured otherwise; or in the alternative, would have to include countless scenes merely to establish a certain atmosphere and social c