Weakest Scorsese Picture
 

What do you think is weakest film of Martin Scorsese's filmography.
For me it would have to be Boxcar Bertha with Bringing Out The Dead as a runner-up. (Note that I've only seen Bringing Out The Dead once, so my descision may be premature. Also, there are still a few Scorsese films I haven't seen.)

Kundun

I kinda liked Bringing out the Dead, but you're right about Boxcar Bertha. That was by far the worst Scorsese film. I was never really a fan of The Color of Money either.

Out of the ones I have seen, I would think The Color of Money, as it didn't seem to have his touch.

I haven't been able to find all of his films yet, but of the ones I've watched I'd have to say either Bringing Out the Dead or After Hours.

ACK!!! Oh Mose, take thy claw from mine heart!

After Hours is my favorite comedy, and I think the best black comedy ever made (yes, I like it more than Strangelove). After hours is expertly paced, cast, and shot. I want to run beat up that damn cab driver every time he snags the twenty. What other film has Plaster of Paris Bagel and Cream Cheese paper weights?? I consider it one of his best films...lol

If you have only seen it once, check it out again!

:eek: You're nuts.

I thought Boxcar Bertha and New York, New York were his weakest. I liked them a bit, but as overall films they fail as a Scorsese picture.


By the way, I also loved After Hours.

I thought I'd be in the minority on that one :) If you read my REVIEW you'll see its the genre itself I don't particularly care for so the movie kind of lost me from the get go.

Boxcar Bertha is hardly "A Scorsese" picture. I mean, he directed it, but it was his Roger Corman exploitation quickie entry into Hollywood. What were you expecting? That it even needs to be dragged up for such a discussion shows how remarkable and consistent his work has been over his career.

The Color of Money is a good movie with good performances by Newman and Cruise, I like the music and some of the camera movements, and the script is more literate than most of this kind of film. And though it's nowhere near the level of The Hustler (few movies are), I'm glad they went a different direction with it rather than a simple retelling of the original. BUT all that being said, it's his most ordinary and least ambitious project. Still more than watchable, and quite fun in its way, but hardly in the realm of the rest of his work. It did serve a very specific purpose though, in that by making it and having it be a success finally got his ultimate dream project The Last Temptation of Christ financed and distributed.


And After Hours is a frippin' masterpiece.

Seeing as how I tend to agree with you and Sedai on most films methinks I might give it another shot. In my defense, I did watch it during one of my 3am insomniac phases.

A good point.

That was kind of what I realized after I made this thread, even Scorsese's "worst" films are okay.

Pretty sure it was boxcar, if I remember his tally in the Supra-genius thread (great read, btw). I haven't seen Boxcar Bertha.

I was never a big fan of The Age of Innocence, but I'm perfectly happy to watch it if it's on telly so it's there by default. :)

I haven't seen all of Bringing Out the Dead, but I have a feeling whenever I finish it, it will get my vote….

New York, New York

Good call. ;)

Are you kidding?! New York, New York was one of Scorsese's best IMHO.

Like many other people my tastes in Scorsese's filmography are all over the place. No best or worst seems to be discernable.

However, I found that the Scorsese films I enjoyed the least were ones that struck me most by dissapointment (always a problem for a director of Scorsese's caliber). Those were the two that file into the shuddersome categories or REMAKE and SEQUEL.

Unfortunately for The Colour of Money[1986], I regard The Hustler[1961] severely highly and because of this Scorsese's sequel suffered. The original story for the novel, The Colour of Money, was already plainly inferior and the radically different Richard Price screenplay was an improvement but nothing fantastic.

Cape Fear[1991] was another remake I found to be hopelessly lesser to the original. Surprisingly, it was the direction and editing I had a problem with.

Both of these films are still extremely easy to watch and as Holden said, 'fun'. Except they feel out of place and definitely not the highlights of Scorsese's work. If there were any two of Scorsese's films I could watch and be fooled into thinking they're not his, they would be these two.

PS: I really enjoyed Bringing Out The Dead. I can slightly understand how people might be hostile towards it but for satisfaction I'd like to hear the reasons.

Bringing Out the Dead.

I've seen The Age of Innocence once and was very tired. I'm not sure but I think the film made me even more tired. I'll have to watch it again to be certain, only I'm not sure I want to.