The Wild Bunch review

 Number 286 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1969 epic revisionist Western 'The Wild Bunch.'

Pike Bishop (William Holden) is the leader of an ageing band of cowboys who are finding their way before the outbreak of the first world war. Wishing to retire soon, they want to do one last robbery, but they are pursued savagely by a rival gang led by Pike's father partner Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan.)

The Wild Bunch takes place at the end of the cowboy era, as these rustlers and would-be outlaws try to find their way in the ever-changing world. It is a swan-song to their legacy, but I would argue it is also a swan-song to the Western genre itself.

By 1969, Leone had released his dollars-trilogy and the best days of the Western genre were behind them. Spaghetti Westerns were becoming a thing of the past. Roll on the 70's with the resurgence of the gangster genre, as well as the rise of the Vietnam war films. Coppola and Scorsese released the Godfather and Mean Streets, which were followed at the end of the decade by the Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now. But the Wild Bunch paid homage to the best of the genre while keeping everything grounded in a gritty realism.

These aren't the romanticised, pretty-boy cowboys of Gary Cooper in High Noon, but rather the brutal anti-hero that Eastwood played in the Dollars' trilogy. The Wild Bunch have their own code of honour, but this doesn't apply to the civillians around them who are largely seen as collateral damage. It was a nice demystification of a highly romanticised figure. The Wild Bunch were just petty crooks masquerading as honourable cowboys.

They were led by William Holden in another morally duplicitous role similar to this Oscar-winning turn in Stalag-17. But he was good as the ageing, world-weary protagonist who just wants to retire and put the world behind him.

The Wild Bunch was an intensely violent, but enjoyable affair that acted as a lovely swan-song to the Western genre.

Infernal Affairs review

 Number 196 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Hong Kong action-thriller 'Infernal Affairs.'

Set in Hong Kong, Infernal Affairs follows undercover cop Chan Wing-Yan (Tony Leung) as he infiltrates the triads to discover the mole that ruthless boss Sam (Eric Tsang) has implanted within the police. Meanwhile, Sam's mole Lau Kin-Ming (Andy Lau) is trying to discover the identity of the under cover cop in the triads. Both men are in a race against time to discover each other's identities.

If this plot sounds familiar, it's because Martin Scorsese remade this film as The Departed. But I definitely preferred Infernal Affairs. There's no doubt that the Departed is a brilliant film, but it's also very American. It's loud, brash and with very little subtlety. 

Infernal Affairs is far more nuanced. Instead of being a grandiose affair with gratuitous explosions and gunfire, it is a stripped-back story of two morally-grey characters who are born questioning their directions in life. Having said that, there was enough unnecessary cheesy slow-motion and grandiose music to make up for the endless gunfights. But I feel that is typical of most Cantonese films I've seen. Always prioritising spectacle over story.

Dicaprio was great as Wing-Yan's counterpart, but Tony Leung really keyed into the anguish that Wing must have been feeling. He was undercover for almost ten years and can slowly feel his old life slipping away.

Similarly, Andy Lau is starting to question his role in the police force, as he starts to identify as more of a cop than a robber. His boss, Sam, continuously piles on the pressure. Sam was the true villain of the film, and he was a scary villain indeed.

Whereas the Departed ends in an over-dramatic fireball explosion, Infernal Affairs is far more understated. *Spoilers* After a drug deal gone wrong, Sam runs like the coward he is, before he is betrayed and killed by his would-be protege Kin-Ming allowing him to have one last confrontation with Wing-yan before one final twist - Sam has more than one mole in the police force, and we see a flashback confirming this. A similar twist occurs in the Departed, but it was better seeded here. It was a lovely, quiet ending to a very good film.

In terms of remake vs original, while the Departed was good, it wasn't nearly as good or as nuanced as Infernal Affairs.

Hugo review

 Number 698 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsesee's 2011 historical drama 'Hugo.'

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is an orphan who lives in the clocktower of the Parisian Gare Montparnasse railway station. Before his father (Jude Law) died in a fire, the two of them were restoring an automaton that they found in the back of a museum. In honour of his dad, Hugo resolves to finish fixing the robot by stealing parts notably from cantankerous toyshop owner Georges (Ben Kingsley,) while being aided by Georges' goddaughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and librarian Monsieur Labisse (Christopher Lee.) Meanwhile, Hugo has to avoid being caught by station inspector Gustave Daste (Sacha Baron Cohen) who will send him to the orphanage.

If you had told me this was a Martin Scorsesee film, I would never have believed you. There's no mafia, no profuse use of the F word, no Leonardo Dicaprio and no Robert De Niro. Yet Scorsesee has still lovingly crafted a creative, engrossing story with lovely visuals and a great cinematography. At the end of the day, he is a film director and lover of film, so it's no surprise that he took to this film with such ardent fervour. And film is at the heart of Hugo. Upon fixing the automaton, Hugo stumbles upon a mystery that goes all the way back to the birth of cinema, tying together elements like the Lumiere Brothers, Georges Meliet and the famous film 'A Trip to the Moon.'

The ensemble cast were all very good together. Asa Butterfield has grown up a little from his leading role in the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Ben Kingsley is always great regardless of whatever he is in and Sacha Baron Cohen brought a frenetic energy and mischief to his role. The only one I was less sure about was Chloe Grace Moretz. As an American, she obviously had to put on a British accent, but it sounded very put on. Maybe because it was the stereotypical posh accent that Americans do whenever they're playing British characters.

Nevertheless, this was a very entertaining film. It was creative with a great cast and it serves as proof that Scorsesee can do a lot more than just mob films.

Gangs of New York review

 Number 790 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsesee's historical crime epic 'Gangs of New York.'

Set in 19th century Manhattan, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo Dicaprio) is a man seeking revenge. Sixteen years earlier, his father "Priest" Vallon (Liam Neeson) was killed by fearsome gangster Bill 'the Butcher' Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) leader of the xenophobic gang 'the Natives' - one of the many gangs who ruled New York. Amsterdam also grows friendly with attractive pickpocket Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz.) Stephen Graham, Brendan Gleeson and Jimbroadbent all co-star.

Gangs of New York showcased Scorsesee at his absolute best. Based on a true story, he brought characters and a setting that have long been dead to history, back to life again. Everything coalesced to make a thrilling spectacle. The costume design was on-point as the actual set production. Scorsesee had a mile of nineteenth-century New York reproduced on a film set in Rome. He also hired a dialect coach to make sure that all the accents were historically accurate. Dicaprio speaks with a hybrid Irish-American accent and Day-Lewis has a hard New York accent.

And Day-Lewis is a hell of an actor. He might take method acting to an extreme, but it paid off in the finished product. He is scary as the unpredictable Butcher - a character who has lived to forty-seven through terror alone. How does the adage go? Be wary of the old man in the profession where men die young. Day-Lewis really just embodied the character. No wonder he's considered one of the best actors of his generation.

Dicaprio was great as well, taking Amsterdam through an arc of a poor Irish immigrant's son to become the unlikely leader of the resistance movement. He really shone here. The same can't be said for Cameron Diaz who was nothing special in her role. Her character - a former prostitute who suffered an abortion is certainly a tragic one, but one that anybody could have played.

Despite being close to three hours, Gangs of New York never felt over-long. It was masterfully paced and throttled along. Granted, it wasn't perfect. At times, it leant into melodrama with some excessive slow-motion and grandiose music. During the final fight sequence, we see some of our favourite characters die in strange and contrived ways, which I won't spoil here.

Nonetheless, Gangs of a New York is a brilliant film - one of Scorsesee's best. The titular gangs may have once been forgotten, but Scorsesee has ensured that they will be remembered forever more.

Mean Streets review

 Number 850 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsese's directorial debut - the crime drama 'Mean Streets.'

Charlie Cappa (Harvey Keitel) is a low-ranking mafioso in New York. His best friend is the hot-headed Johnny Boy Civello (Robert De Niro.) Johnny Boy is reckless, aggressive and rude. He also owes a lot of money to many loansharks including the dangerous Michael Longo (Robert Romanus.) Cappa has to work hard to keep his friend out of trouble...and Johnny Boy gets into a lot of trouble - angering almost every gangster in the neighbourhood.

As well as being Scorsese's directorial debut, it also marked the start of his many collaborations with actors Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. Their relationship is at the heart of the film and the actors work brilliantly together. De Niro provides a chaotic, even manic energy which is balanced out by Keitel's straight-man approach. Johnny Boy antagonises every lone shark in the neighbourhood by stubbornly refusing to pay back his debts. As the film progresses, so does the tension and the drama. 

I certainly think you could argue that Mean Streets isn't always the most believable. No loan shark will give a little hot-head like Johnny Boy chance after chance to pay him back even if Charles Luciano was vouching for him. They might knock him around once or twice but if they don't get their money soon then they'll simply kill him. It is only at the end of the film that Michael Longo shoots Johnny Boy as punishment for not repaying his debts. And this happens as Johnny is attempting to drive to safety. And it's a botched attempt too. The car crashes and Johnny Boy stumbles to an uncertain fate. In reality, a loan shark would never let things get this out of hand. A loan shark would kill him earlier and far more efficiently than Michael Longo does. But this is a film, and not real life, so I'm prepared to suspend my disbelief. 

And I think that's because Scorsese creates such a fantastical world. Mean Streets, being Scorsese's first film, obviously didn't have the same budget as the Irishman or the Wolf of Wall Street, but Scorsese did well with what he had. He brought his world to life. And it is a dirty, gritty world. We are far away from the splendour and romance of the Godfather. It's grotty, ugly and unglamourous. But the best thing is that he presents this world without judgement. By completely immersing us in his world, he doesn't pass judgement on any of the characters living within it. Rather he allows the audience to judge for themselves. And I do judge Johnny Boy as a being an impetuous, little boy who would never measure up to the likes of the Corleones.

Also a quick shout out to the sound track. There were some great tunes that exemplified the sixties and the seventies. All of this helped provide some colour to a morally grey world.

If you're a Scorsese fan and you haven't already watched his directorial debut then what are you doing? It's a hell of a ride. Granted, not the most realistic of rides, but a great one nonetheless.