scorsese is my favorite director... and at times he really had my attention, but i think he lost sight of the point of the movie a few times. frankly, i'm still not really sure what he intended to convey in a few places as the direction was so unclear. it's hard for me to believe that this story was adapted from a novel since the movie seemed quite poorly thought through. still, however, it had moments of glory and i loved the authentic film noir feel which was beautifully executed through most of the film.