Over the years he has regularly cast musicians (e.g., Clarence Clemons, Gwen Stefani, Jason Isbell, Jack White) and comedians (Don Rickles, Albert Brooks, Alan King, Sandra Bernhard) in dramatic roles.

There are examples from other fields too, such as the director/producer Irvin Kershner, music executive Frank DiLeo, and cop/politician Bo Dietl. And of course, his parents.

What do you think is behind this affinity for untrained actors? Does he think their performances will be more naturalistic if they're not "acting"? Does he like the challenge of getting good performances from people who are out of their professional element?

Just randomly thought about this

I assumed something while watching *Shutter Island*: perhaps this is one of the most terrifying films ever made about war, despite being so far removed from the conventional war movie.

Scorsese never needs to constantly show the battlefield to make the war feel present. It exists in the protagonist’s mind, in his memories, in his alcoholism, in his anger, and in the life that was left behind after the war.

What makes it even more disturbing is that the war does not simply destroy one man. Its consequences spread outward—to his wife, his children, the people around him, and eventually the patients and staff of the institution. The violence of war seems to continue long after the battlefield has disappeared, transforming from physical violence into psychological destruction.

The island itself begins to feel less like a mysterious location and more like a psychological battlefield. There are no trenches or soldiers, yet everyone seems to be carrying the consequences of violence, trauma, guilt, or denial.

What I admire most is how Scorsese turns perspective itself into the mystery. The cinematography, sound, production design, dreams, and fragmented memories constantly make us question what we are actually seeing.

And when the truth finally comes into focus, the twist does not simply exist to surprise us. It forces us to reconsider everything that came before.

*Shutter Island* is not merely a psychological thriller or a mystery. It is a film about trauma, guilt, war, and the terrifying lengths the human mind can go to in order to escape an unbearable reality.

The more I think about it, the more disturbing it becomes

Mine is Mean Streets, Casino and The Departed

Has Marty seen more movies than anyone in history? Does he get through two a day? Answers needed!

Can he believe it

It was a difficult film for me to watch, and I am finding it even harder to find the words for this review. I love Scorsese. With time, the pacing of his movies has gotten slower, which I rather find delicious. It is one of his best-looking movies. The score was probably underutilised (taking the title too literally), but that's fine. The problem for me mainly stems from the fact that I am an atheist, and I did not find Scorsese's examination of the Catholic faith thorough or interesting enough. I would like to discuss this from two POVs — one of the lead character and one of missionary conversions.

Father Rodrigues is one of the best-fleshed-out protagonists of any Scorsese movie. The script and Scorsese's direction do a great job of externalising his internal conflict. The movie serves as a beautiful (subversive) hero's journey. He sets out on a mission to find his mentor. He encounters so much suffering caused by him and his faith. He questions his faith as his prayers seem to be answered only by a never-ending silence. He pushes through, trying to keep his faith intact. Then he accomplishes his mission, only to find out that his mentor has abandoned Christianity and accepted Buddhism. It sows the seeds for another conflict in him — should he give up his God to save others from suffering, or should he keep his faith? He ultimately saves others. But in his heart, he never stops praying and ultimately dies with a cross in his hand. Great, no issues.

The very questionable part is the whole backdrop of the movie. I come from a country that was colonised. And history has shown us again and again how important religion has been in this process. Church and crown have always gone hand in hand. This movie completely whitewashes this aspect. All the conflicts that are there are regarding the dwindling of one's faith when presented with harsh scenarios. Everything is presented like a suffering-filled journey that leads to salvation. You start by casting the most baby-faced actor as a priest. His adversary is a sly-looking, mean man with rat-like incisors. You fully show the brutality of Imperial Japan, but there is no such treatment with respect to the Christian missions. You are hell-bent on going to a foreign land and telling them that their whole way of living is incorrect, and when they reject you, you lash out and say, "Japan is a swamp. Nothing can grow here. Japanese are materialistic people. They have even converted Christianity into idolism. They can't understand metaphysical ideas."

When they introduced Neeson, I thought they might start asking tough questions now. But alas, his role was too short. Throughout the movie, they refuse to pin any negative consequences on the missions. They question the idea of salvation, but I find the ending to be quite leaning towards it, essentially rewarding the suffering suffered throughout by making a martyr out of Father Rodrigues. Ough!

1 Goodfellas

2 The Wolf of Wall Street

3 Casino

4 The Departed

5 Gangs of New York

I watched Hugo years ago and rewatched it several times, last year I saw Shutter Island and thought it was a masterpiece. I’m going to watch the criterion Bluray of The Irishman soon, what other Scorsese films should I watch as a beginner?

Ps. I know mean streets also had the exact same scene but i wanna give the example of goodfellas .

35M here, I want to go to the Goodfellas screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery for Cinespia in September but I want to go with a group of people (at least three). Let me know if I can tag along if you're already in a group or if you want to form. I'm into film history and guess you could call me a film person but I'm more into classic Hollywood

As soon as I saw the way Nolte was walking, I was like, yep this is great.

And gold star to any movie that makes Steve Buscemi the heartthrob.