Has Scorcese sold out?

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2003)

This movie is a sad sign of the times. If you compare this film with any of Scorcese's other work you will notice some remarkable differences. Gone is the gritty realism which has been a trademark of his work, and replaced by formulaic acting and storyline. I mean could you really compare the comic book character of Daniel Day Lewis to anything DeNiro has done in Scorcese's films? As for the obligatory love interest between DiCaprio and Diaz, Scorcese has never resorted to using romance as a filler to pad-out the story in his films before. As for the performances of these two actors, Leo was mediocre as usual, and Diaz was only slightly better.
What this movie did for me was re-affirm the direction Hollywood film-making has taken in the last few years. In order to reach the mass market, many Hollywood movies are being pitched at a very low level and as a result films such as Titanic, Pearl Harbor, and Gladiator are churned out. These films achieve the desired goal of earning mega-dollars at the box office, but as a result are made up of uncomplex storylines, stereotypes, and two dimensional characters. When you compare these movies with films such as The Godfather or Silence of the Lambs which were complete with characters and storylines of depth and complexity, it is easy to see from here the direction Hollywood is taking.
What this movie also re-affirms for me is a suspicion that Hollywood is buying up award votes. Apart from receiving a Golden Globe nomination for best picture, Cameron Diaz has also been nominated for her part. Her Golden Globe nomination (and I'm sure an Oscar nomination will follow) is right up there with Nichole Kidman (Moulin Rouge), Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love), and Marissa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny) as one of the most undeserving nominations given to a female actress. As a result, I am convinced that this movie will go along the same tracks as other "simple-minded" movies such as Titanic and Gladiator where it will be showered with Academy Award Nominations that it clearly won't deserve.
If this movie had been made by any other director I would have brushed it off with a laugh, but the fact that it was directed by Scorcese is sad. Was he only complying with studio heads in order to make this film? I only hope this is a one off for Scorcese. I would hate to think that the likes of Taxi Driver and Goodfellas will not be seen again. All being said, at least foreign films are still being made where they they are driven by the characterizations rather than a lame plot. I can still watch them.