It's one of those films that is on a lot of top 5, 10, 20, 50 or the very least 100 films of all time. You can easily imagine having watched it when it came out, thinking to yourself, this director is going to be huge. However, the mood, the cinematography, the night captures wins here, and the story and dialogue take a back seat. Could it be shorter? Yes! Would Scorsese make a much better film today with the same story? Absolutely. Will you regret watching it? Hell no! will I ever have the urge to watch it again? No. There are many "but why?" moments, and the story has holes, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it will always be one of the most influential films of all time. Do I recommended it? Only if you want to finally discover what the fuss is all about. I have to say, with all the hype and legend surrounding it, it did feel a little anticlimactic.