Watched this film based on the idea that it was a classic. Of course everything Tarentino or Scorsese touch turns to gold according to the critics by virtue of their names being attached to it.

The strength of this movie is that it shows the mundane life that many people experience where their only purpose is to wake up the next day and pay the bills until they run out of years. It also shows how without purpose people can end up in some pretty desperate mental stages where they lose touch with reality.

There is a lot of intrigue built up throughout as you are just wondering when he is going to have his violent break out. This anticipation adds some entertainment value but the end result of it is a bust. The violent scene is anti climactic and it just felt like they could have done more with it.

There is also a lot of time dedicated to scenes that led nowhere. This isn't uncommon for Scorsese and what he seems to deem cinema and detests films that don't have all this back clutter. Some of it perhaps adds to the bizarre nature of De Niro's character , but it is a bit excessive and doesn't necessarily produce a thrilling story.

Maybe it was better back in the day, but I think the creepy obsessive guy genre has surpassed this now.