Although watching this film was enjoyable for the most part I felt as if I was watching a Scorsese filmmaker retrospect all condensed in this 3 1/2 hour movie. This film referenced every Scorsese mob flick from Mean Streets to Casino. I was still waiting for this movie to emerge and it did sort of.

The casting was superb except for 1, Di Niro, Di Niro, was definitely miscast in this production not because he didn't fit the character but because he cannot act. DiNiro has an array of facial expressions which has been passed off for years as genius. The problem is it worked in the 80s but now it is old and tired. Scorsese should of stuck to the proven formula of casting him as a background character actor.

There were a tremendous amount of up in coming talent in this film and the one stand out is Stephen Graham. His performance as the NJ mobster Tony "Tony Pro" Provenzano was brilliant and he definitely held his own in two pivotally scenes with Al Pacino.

Watching this film reminded me of the movie Forest Gump in the same way as the "Gump" character of Frank Sherhan apparently was a "witness" to almost every historic criminal & political occurrence of the 50's, 60's and 70's.

Although Scorsese hits a home run with his attention to detail of the period and his casting of all the supporting and background actors he apparently went to the Di Niro "well" one to many times which dragged this movie down to the level of a punch drunk fighter stepping into the ring one more time.

Time to pass the torch, and move on.