You Talkin' To Me?

I must get something off of my chest. Martin Scorsese is my hero. He has been for many years. I own many of his films, I own books on these films, I've written papers in both high school and college on why Scorsese is one of the greatest directors of all time. I always said that when I have children, one of my sons will inevitably end up with the name Marty. I wanted the man to come and speak at my college graduation but I never got around to finising the request letter in time. I still wonder though if he would have even considered it.

Why is Martin Scorsese my hero? Why not? If you want to know about his life, look to his movies. Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and his newest release The Departed, which comes out today and which is the one movie I have planned to see this fall during Oscar sweep season. His movies show how the world actually is. Instead of flowery movies of people living in the city, finding love or themselves, Martin shows the side of the city that most people either ignore or just wish didn't exist. There is one word that can describe this world, Martin's city. Gritty.

Mean Streets and Goodfellas, in my opinion, are inevitably tied together. The former, his first "big" film, shows street thugs, errand boys, and losers. The latter shows what these men can become - rich, powerful, successful to a certain degree before losing it all. These show the American dream. Though most won't admit it, who doesn't want tons of money, jewelry, cars, and houses? These characters that Martin create and bring to life on screen are despicable and though watching any of his crime films, you try to tell yourself that, you get lost in the story.

That's why he's a great filmmaker. He has characters that are truly merciless, not worth sympathy from anyone, and yet, you root for them. You find yourself quoting their lines, watching your favorite scenes, hoping that they'll get away with whatever horrible thing they're doing next. In Goodfellas, when Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy beat Billy Batts as if it's just another day at the office and then bury him, only to have to excavate his body six months later, despite what they're doing, despite that they have brutally murdered this man and now have to bury him somewhere else, you laugh at the scene as Henry throws up from the stench and Jimmy and Tommy tell jokes about food to make him throw up even more. Should you feel guilty for laughing? No. This is Martin's plan. He wants you to fall in love with these characters and you do. You can't help it.

Like any director, Martin Scorsese has his best films and his worst. I, for instance, can still not sit through an entire showing of Kundun and if I ever meet him, I want to ask what he was thinking when he made New York, New York. But his triumphs overshadow this. He isn't Brett Ratner. His movies aren't mindless entertainment to feed to the masses. His movies are dark and powerful and violent and some are so close to being perfect, you realize what a truly well-made film is. When I was younger, I wanted to be a film director because of this man. I wanted to make shockingly violent movies while still keeping people in their seats because of the story and the characters. I admit it. I probably would have dedicated every movie I made to Martin.