Almost a caricature of Gen X indie cinema - genius auteur, gangsters, Scorcese, misogyny, characters talkin tough and hard to differentiate. Mira Sorvino is sweet. I liked the tubby guys. But I wanted the film to end sooner than it did.
A better movie would be the story of the making of this and Rob Weiss going full Hollywood - but I guess they did that with the Billy Flynn arc on Entourage.
Scorsese gets off on people being executed. Period detail wonderful. Acting can't be faulted. Didn't have to be this long. Sorry but it didn't. Second half is better as it focuses on the investigation and there's story progression and less genocide.
AIP's unsuccessful attempt to cash in on Kansas City Bomber - unsuccessful because it came out late. Also it lacks a really cohesive story - it's a collection of incidents and moments. Why didn't they just do the build up to the big game?
Anyway some of those incidents are memorable like Claudia Jennings confronting spectators while naked in a bar and Jennings doing a strip scene in the roller derby with a guy she's too hot for.
Roberta Collins is in this though her part isn't very big. She seems like an athlete as does Jennings who looks spectacular. I think her voice is dubbed. I could be wrong.
Some fun stuff here. A potentially really good movie with a bit of heart and sexiness. I think they couldn't quite crack the script or the male interest.
Not a big hit but it made a profit at a time when Scorsese needed to show he could do that. The film is iconic in a way - say After Hours type adventures and people get what you mean.
Griffin Dunne is negaging and low key handsome as the lead - I'm surprised he didn't do more films as star, or maybe he did and I just didn't hear of them.
Dunne runs into a series of nutty women - topless sculptor Linda Fiorentino, well read burns victim Rosanna Arquette, lonely waitress Terri Garr, ice cream ventor Catherine O'Hara, lonely Verna Bloom - and some less odd men - bartender John Heard, gay dude,Cheech and Chong (in separate roles), door bitch to a punk club. Other people pop up in it like Bronson Pinchot.
The script is circular but quite clever in its set up and pay off.
Thoughts:
- it's boring mostly
- lots of old man acting
- Joe Pesci steals the film - restrained, powerful, intense, he's great
- I liked the younger support
- what's it about? The friendship between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro isn't real. De Niro is his lacky. He's Pesci's lacky.
- maybe you could interpret this as the story of a man who is full fo crap and a fantasist a la King of Comedy - that would've been really interesting and you can see it here a little but you have to squint
- you could also see it as the inability of servants to have proper friendships with their masters, but again you have to squint
- de Niro is a great actor but he's so Italian it's kind of silly he's in a film called the Irishman, he never seems Irish - it didn't matter in Goodfellas I felt it mattered here
- Anna Pacquin has seven words of dialogue and later de Niro complains he won't walk to her - that is genuinely hilarious
- other female "roles" include: wives who smoke and that's it, a daughter who cries and that's about it, a daughte who got married - there's a scene between de Niro and a blonde daughter which isn't bad but might mean more if we'd spent more time
- it repeats story beats constantly eg there's two scenes of Pesci telling de Niro they have to kill Pacino - or scenes that could've been cut - there's so much that could've been cut
- for all it's flaws it's clearly made by people with talent and has memorable moments like the build up to the murder of Hoffa, de Niro talking about Hoffa to a nice nurse who has no idea who Hoffa is, old Pesci being wistful in prison about killing Pacino - I enjoyed the last half hour but that was in part because of relief the film was over
Martin Scorsese's famous cocaine fuelled misfire killed Liza Minnelli's career as a movie star (along with Lucky Lady and A Matter of Time) and left a magnificent title song. It starts bold and brassy with credits then has a cringy meet cute with Robert de Niro being a sex pest trying to get Minnelli's phone number.
De Niro's character is really revolting - I think in part because the film was improvised so much, he's experienced at it and she isn't, so he overpowers her in the scenes. When she can sing it's even.
Scorsese says this is a film about creatives. It's not, not really - it's about a possessive, controlling man. He stalks her, love bombs her, is possessive, controlling, abusive.
It's really, really unpleasant. It gets better in the last third when de Niro leaves and the movie becomes essentially a series of production numbers, including the famous 'Happy Endings' which was removed. It's a whole film within a film like they would do in Singin in the Rain. Why did they cut that out and not those terrible abuse scenes which hit the same beat (he's possessive/jealous/mean). They could have trimmed that right back and put in more songs.
I'll say this for Scorsese - he doesn't glamourise domestic violence. But he shoves it down our throats.
Liza flashes her big eyes and can sing the hell out of anything but doesn't have much of a character to play. De Niro is possessive. The film needed a second lead. It has cameo turns from people like Lionel Stander and Dick Miller - it should have merged these.
Still Scorcese's only feature that focuses on a woman - you think he might've done more because this won Ellen Burstyn an Oscar and was a hit. It's a modern updating of old 30s women's pictures with modern trappings.
It's still Hollywood. Her husband is a dipshit who threatens to hit wife and child so we don't feel bad when he dies early on. She finds an act two guy Harvey Keitel who turns out to be a married dipshit.
Then act three she moves to another town and works in a diner and it becomes recogniseably Alice with Diane Ladd channelling Eve Arden and Kris Kristofferson as George Brent (he suited playing.a love interest, KK, because he seemed so comfortable in his skin and not overly charismatic as to pull focus). It really is a Joan Crawford movie. But it's lovely and done with empathy if a little long.
The kid is excellent. Jodie Foster rocks up again as a girl who befriends him. Wish her part had been better.
I'm surprised how populist it is. I mean it ends with a public declaration of love in a diner with extras looking on and clapping when they kiss. I mean, it was turned into a sitcom.
Mind you it's a Scorsese so there's still domestic violence - full on from Harvey Keitel, mild from Kris Kristofferson.
Full of energy, talent and verve. There's Harvey Keitel as the first in a long line of toxic male protagonists in Scorsese films, with his sex and religious hang ups, hanging out with dead beat mates, tormented by Catholicism, creepy with women whom he treats as Madonnas/whores.
Zita Bethune is the woman (called "The Girl"). She's lovely. All the acting is good. Funny riffs on John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter in The Searchers. There's long scenes with boorish friends crapping on.
The nude scene, put in at the recommendation of buyers, does perk things up. Scorses learned his lesson - for Mean Streets, which this has a lot in common with (bars, deadbeat mates, madonna/Whores) he added gangters and nudity.
It's very interesting, made by someone with talent, doesn't quite hang together as a feature. I gave it three stars considering the low budget.
Spiritual sequel to Taxi Driver about another figure dealing with nutters at night - in this case a paramedic. Sunken eyed, restrained Nicolas Cage is perfect in the lead, as a Scorsese/Schrader hero par excellance, a man tormented with guilt.
Patricia Arquette is typically excellent in an understated way. Ving Rhames heaps of fun as a religious driver, Tom Sizemore electric as a manic driver, John Goodman and Marc Antony a great. (The film's stucture is basically Cage and three different partners over three nights, with some other plots threaded through).
It lacks the primeval aspect of Taxi Driver - the "rescue" of Jodie Foster, building up to a big shoot out. This builds to Cage stopping Sizmore beating someone up, and then allowing someone to die. (Immaculate acting on Cage's face then by the way.)
It's warm and heart affirming despite the dodgy world. Scorsese had a kid around this time, maybe that was it.
Does anyone talk about this film any more? It was a big deal at the time. Newman finally getting an Oscar. Scorsese doing something commercial. Tom Cruise doing something classy. Eric Clapton. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio winning the reviews. You couldn't go near a pool table for a few years there without people flipping around the pool cues like Cruiser.
I was getting sick of Scorcese's needle drops but this has dumb 80s soundtrack-itis. It was dull. So dull.
Good actors. Newman was fine - no one begrudged him an Oscar, though he'd been better in lots of other movies. Mastrantonio is excellent. So too is Cruise.
I guess the characters are interesting. But they just sort of hang around. The one memorable scene is when Newman realises he's been hustled by Forest Whitaker. That was effective.
There's some Scorsese flourishes like zooms and Italian Americans yelling (Cruise, Mastranotonio) - when Newman joins in it's not as fun.
I remember watching this at the cinema when I was a kid and feeling guilty I didn't like it because the reviews told me to like it. I was wrong to feel guilty this simply isn't very good. And they spent so much time on preparing it, too.
Gosh this is a good film. I was turned off Scorsese with all his violence and redemption but presented with an excellent script by him he rises to the occasion. No whip pans, needle drops, people smashing up people in bars, nagging wives.
It's a slow burn cringe comedy about an obssessed stalker who winds up kidnapping a late night talk show. Jerry Lewis has a terrific role as the host, emotionally dead, wound up, stressed, abused by strangers in the streets. Robert de Niro is excellent as a pestering all too believable type. Sandra Bernhard is X factor as de Niro's deranged accomplice - she has so much danger and excitement.
It's a superb script from Paul D. Zimmerman. I love who it plays with time and reality. I get why it wasn't a hit. But it's great. I actually love that de Niro's character makes it in the end (although it could be fantasy, I love that too). It's a movie that was very ahead of the curve.
The Joker really copied this didn't it, right down to the black girlfriend.
I love the cameo from Tony Randall as the host who takes over and Scorsese as the director. Gore Vildal and Shlley Winters are guests on the show - shame they couldn't have been on it too!
Oh, Shelley Hack is in this and she's geat.
It's got a fascinating world - Japanese Christians being persecuted in the 17th century - and a terrific set up two priests (Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, both ideally cast) set out to find their mentor (Liam Neeson) who has gone missing. (Sidebar: I'm surprised WW2 Allied propaganda didn't use stories of persuctions of Christians in Japan. Maybe they did.)
There's also an intriguing Japanese character,a. former Christian who repented who is their guide. But once that's set up in the first ten minutes the film doesn't really have any more ideas. Japanese Christians are glad to meet them, but also scared. They are persecuted and killed. Martin Scorsese gets to do lots of violent scenes that he likes of Christians being crucified, burned, tortured, decapitated, in amognst the long running time and minimal female presence.
I really liked the ambiable Japanese politician who does great evil, an all too recognisable type from history. It's well acted, looks terrific, with lovely photography, sets, costumes, etc.
It just suffers from lack of structure and character development. The last third is strong. I really liked it. It was dramatic conflict not just repetitive torture. It's just that middle section.
Garfield and Driver go full actor. Both seem like priests, Garfield goes believably nutty. I wonder if the film would've done better had they just thrown rocks at him for half an hour. (How long did Driver go without sex for?) I think it was a mistake to allow them to have Portugese accents. Also the piece could've done with some humour - it comes in the end, I guess.
I wonder if Mel Gibson ever considered filming this novel it feels right up his alley with its suffering and violence. He might've ensured a better structure too
Not my cup of tea though I appreciate the talent, the authenticity, the pace.
Maybe I've seen too many imitators - slice of life coming of age dramas with wanna be toughs yelling at each other. Film critics/buffs loved all the references - the autobiographical bits, the film references (going to see a Western, Harvey Keitel liking John Wayne).
So much of it feels familiar I think now because Scorsese did so many scenes of Italian Americans yelling at each other in bars with tracks playing in the background and bursts of violence. And the depiction of women is so, as he tends do to (madonna/whore).
I respect this film, I really do. I just don't like it that much. I generally don't when Scorsese wrote the script. I think it's mostly because de Niro's character is such a boor I don't care about him, Keitel has every right to get angry. Why support him? If people accept that relationship and feel for de Niro they'll enjoy this movie more.
Oh shout out to the fact a Roger Corman film is in this. Scorsece picked up enough Corman exploitation to make sure there's female nudity from Amy Robinson in the Breathless sequence (also I gather he had to include it in Who's That Knocking on My Door to sell it.)
Many thoughts.
- Bits I liked. The milieu. The research.
- Too much smoking in lieu of acting.
- Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci aren't bad. But they are clearly bored. De Niro never seems into Sharon Stone. He never likes Pesci. Or his daughter. Or anyone. Anything. He gets fired up when he can't work in the casino I guess. Was this why he and Scorsese didn't work together for so long? Pesci goes through the motions too. He never seems to like de Niro or Stone. He has a moment at the end crying when his brother is killed.
- Sharon Stone is magnificent. Warm, compelling, sexy, touching, emphathetic. Steals the film. I wish she'd had better roles at her peak. Even here she's stuck in endless Scorsese yelling domestic scenes.
- I also liked the guy who plays Pesci's mate who kills him. He was putting in good work and had a fantastic worm turns moment at the end.
- Could have been trimmed. The journalism stuff. The yelling scenes.
- Always interesting direction - camera angles, colours, sounds.
- Don Rickles terrific. Aparet from de Niro and Pesci the acting is very strong. And those two aren't bad just bored.
Fantastic story. I got so nervous reading it the crimes were so hideous I admit I googled the ending to check it wasn't going to be another American genocide with no justice. Took a while for it to kick in because characters kept being introduced and killed. I'd never heard of this story. Great yarn. Moving.
Entertaining but a little disappointing. Not as good as the 1995 bio on Stone - which Stone quotes several times oddly enough.
Stone's life was so action packed my expectations were high - exotic squabbling parents, Yale, Vietnam, drugs, sex, taxi driving, film school being taught by Martin Scorsese, screenwriting, etc. Maybe it' s better suited to being a biography.
Stone is an interesting person. Intelligent, self centered, sensual, aware, ambitious, not great with money.
He plugged away for a number of years - driving a cab, living off his first wife and writing two scripts a year. Robert Bolt was an early champion. He made his first feature quite early but little came of it. What got him going was the spec Platoon. That led to Midnight Express, his first assignment - a good one to have. He became a top screenwriter (Conan, Scarface).
Interesting trivia: Keanu Reeves was offered the lead in Platoon, he wanted Warren Beatty and Tom Cruise for Wall Street. There's fascinating insights into the making of Seizure and The Hand. The book only goes up to him about to start on Wall Street. His analysis of other directors like De Palma, Parker, Milius and Cimino is interesting.
The accounts of the making of Salvador and Platoon are exhausting.
Strong book but I can't deny I felt a little let down.
The trailer didn't look great but I allowed myself to be caught up in the hype of people in twitter. It's not a bad movie, of course... but when it starts with a tracking shot through a nursing home with some 50s pop tune I couldn't help thinking "haven't we seen this already?"
And yeah we kind of have.
There's a lot of loving period detail, an excellent actors and moments of people being shot. But a lot of the time I was going "so what?" He was a war veteran and takes that attitude into working for the mob... Jimmy Hoffa is corrupt... his kids didn't like him...
The de-aging technology is interesting. It's very well acted and directed. The killings are effective, particularly the death of Hoffa. It gets better as it goes on and focuses on the leads being old men. Nice to see Joe Pesci being still. The movie is absolutely fine. Maybe it'll stay with me.
