70's Month - Day:12 Mean Streets

Before Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino, Martin Scorsese directed the 1973 film Mean Streets. Although this one lacks the polish of something like Goodfellas, it's still a really good film nevertheless. 

In the film Harvey Keitel plays Charlie, a man who is both involved in organized crime and also a devout Catholic. A constant problem for Charlie is that he feels responsible for his reckless friend Johnny (played by Robert De Niro) who owes money to various loan sharks all over town. Eventually one of those creditors runs out of patience things end with Charlie and Johnny getting shot.

Overall, I like the movie but It's not one of my favorites from Scorsese. While definitely an entertaining, quality film with some good performances, my one gripe is that the pacing feels slightly off; It drags a bit in the middle but also the ending feels rushed. With that being said, I do recommend the film if you've never seen it.

4 out of 5

Today's Movie: Cape Fear

Today's review is Cape Fear. (the 1991 Martin Scorsese remake, not the 1962 one)

 The plot here is simple but effective: A convict named Max Cady (played by Robert De Niro) has recently been released from prison after serving a 14yr sentence. His lawyer all those years ago was Sam Bowden (played by Nick Nolte) who, was so appalled by Cady's crime, that he buried evidence that might have lightened the sentence or even lead to an acquittal. So, Max is out to get his revenge on Sam, stalking and threatening him, his wife Leigh (played by Jessica Lange), and his 15yr old daughter Danielle (played by Juliette Lewis). Sam files a restraining order, hires a private investigator, pays a few goons to beat Cady up, and even tries fleeing on a houseboat... but it doesn't seem like anything can stop Max Cady.

Even though the original in 1962 was directed by John Lee Thompson, Martin Scorsese opted to give his version a very Hitchcockian feel. This makes the film an interesting hybrid of ideas and influences, and a pretty unique Scorsese picture. Aside from some pacing and camera angles, the music is the same Bernard Herrmann score from the original and the opening credits were done by Saul Bass (both men collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock on a few of his most famous films). 

Overall, I wouldn't call this one my favorite Scorsese movie, or even my favorite Scorsese movie featuring Robert De Niro, but it's a suspenseful thriller and all of the acting solid. I typically argue against remakes but, this is one of the examples of a remake done right.

I give this one a 4 out of 5.

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Today's Movie: Quiz Show

Every so often there will be a movie that has been recommended to me or that I've heard is pretty good for a while, and I just never got around to checking it out. That's been the case with the 1994 film Quiz Show.

In a nutshell, the film is about a 50's game show called 'Twenty One' on NBC that is rigged in order to generate more public interest, thus increasing ratings and generating more money for the show's sponsor. Eventually when the ratings plateau, the two men who run the show Dan Enright (played by David Paymer and Albert Freedman (played by Hank Azaria) convince the recurring champion Herb Stempel (played by John Turturro) to lose on purpose, so that a good-looking, marketable guy named Charles Van Doren (played by Ralph Finnes) can be the champ. Of course after throwing the game, Stempel is bitter and he'll tell anyone who will listen that the game is rigged. It doesn't take long for a young congressional lawyer named Dick Goodwin (played by Rob Morrow) to catch wind of the possible rigging and he heads to New York to investigate. 

From there it's a lot of Van Doren feeling guilty, Stempel being angry, Goodwin trying to build a case, and Enright trying to cover it all up, but it's done in a very entertaining way. For the most part it's all well written, well directed, and well acted which is especially important because this one could have very easily been a dull, run-of-the-mill, corruption movie. I particularly liked Rob Morrow and Ralph Finnes in the film, but even some of the smaller roles like Christopher McDonald as the game show host and Martian Scorsese as the 'Geritol' executive manage to stand out.

Overall, it's a good movie. It's not one I foresee myself watching over and over, but I definitely enjoyed it. 

I give this one a 4 out of 5.

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A Look Back At GoodFellas (1990)

If ever there was a film to challenge 'The Godfather' for the title of Best Organized Crime Movie, it's 1990's 'GoodFellas'.

Nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture (which it probably should've won) 'GoodFellas' is talent performing at it's highest level.

Without being too long-winded on this point, arguments can be made that this is Robert De Niro's best film, Ray Liotta's best film, Joe Pesci's best film, and the best film directed by Martin Scorsese. 

Based on the 1986 book 'Wiseguy' which I admittedly have never read, the film focuses on the rise and fall of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) and several portions of the film are narrated Liotta. Now, a lot times in movies I find narration to be almost lazy, as if someone said "I need to explain this part but I don't know how to film it and keep it interesting". By contrast, in this film the narration is sprinkled throughout to enhance the overall film. 

In addition to having a very engaging plot, large reason why this movie works so well is acting and the dynamic between the lead characters.

As mentioned before, Ray Liotta plays Henry Hill, he is a mob associate that is ultimately undone by his own carelessness (cocain habit, cheating on his wife etc.)

Alongside Liotta, Robert De Niro plays James "Jimmy the Gent" Conway, he's the calm, collected and calculating one. Then there's Joe Pesci who plays Tommy DeVito, he's a loud, bombastic, hothead. (Pesci went on to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this role) 

Entertaining, hard-hitting, stylish, a modern-classic, intense... There are countless phrases that one could use to describe this movie but, in the end, the most accurate is Masterpiece.

It's a rare 5 out of 5 kind of movie.

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