Ho-hum bio-epic, stilted and self-aware.

Rating: 4/10 (19 September 2005)

Empty, shallow bio-pic that falls short. Scorcese should stay away from these type of epics- he does not do them well. He seems very self-conscious and stilted in this effort. The movie, with all its detail and budget, looks fake and its narrative cartoon like. Its a expensive TV movie that has little soul. Scorcese wants to be a director like David Lean, or even a John Sturgess, but doesn't have the range of talent these guys had. Stick to the gangsters and the isolated psychopaths- you do that well.
P.S. The scene with Kate Hepburn's family at the dinner table is the highlight of the film.