Boxcar Bertha

Certainly not Scorsese's best film to date but I did enjoy it towards the end. The film is incredibly similar to Bonnie Clyde, but it isn't as good as that. I felt some of the performances in this film were lacking in euthasiam and emotion. Barbara Hersehy was pretty good and gave a good performances a runaway Bertha. David Carridine wasn't as good as let's say, his recent performance in Kill Bill. There are certainly early evidence os the usual Scorsese trademarks. Ganster/crime, Scorses

Heavily mannered and stylised, this is perhaps better than it's given credit for. There's lots going on with class, race and gender issues and an excellent performance is drawn out of Barbara Hershey. Unfortunately it doesn't quite all seem to fit together as it might.

Not that splendid Scorsese, Hershey and Carridane early work. Scorcese strips Hershey butt naked, and puts her to run in the end of the movie a very difficult railroad side.

It gets off to a rough start, but the excellent characters and class/race commentary hold your interest as much as the orgies of violence and bare boobs. A fascinating fusion of Corman interests (genuine sympathy toward the renegade and the woman, boobs) and Scorsese obsessions (Christian iconography, breakneck pacing).

What was Marty thinking? If his intentions was to make a sleazy exploitation flick he succeeded plenty. The premise isn't bad - young girl becomes an orphan, hooks up with union activist and gets in troubles. But the way the story is handled is just terrible. Scorsese tries a few things with camera, but even that doesn't work. He did much better films even in his university years.

Hershey, radiant and ferociously free, plays the title role, an instinctual rule-breaker who gets pulled into all manner of social revolt. There's an appealing flintiness to the movie and glimpses of Scorsese's distinctive filmmaking personality here and there, but nothing that really indicates there's a burgeoning genius at work. That particular trumpet blast was still a year away. It's at least loose and spirited enough to suit its subject.

I expected absolutely nothing and got a reasonably competent B-movie with some inklings of union politics...I guess I'll take it

Barbara Hershey radiates sex in the title role, but Scorsese still had yet to find his rhythm and everybody else just went through the motions, including Corman and the screenwriters.

53.000

I like Depression-era outlaw films so this was a pleasant surprise from Scorsese. I see that it was originally supposed to be an exploitation film. Straightforward characters with modern mannerisms. Fav scene: camera following guys being blown away by shotgun blasts reminiscent of Tarantino.

Interesting, though not entirely successful; starts out quite well with Hershey establishing herself nicely in the role, but begins to resemble a BONNIE & CLYDE knock-off as it progresses and eventually becomes overlong and redundant. Climax is well staged and handled, with the crucifixion scene the biggest clue that it is a Scorsese movie we are watching!

Common wisdom is Mr Carradine died the way he did because he enjoyed it. I think he was just trying to erase the memory of Boxcar Bertha from his head. Lazy writing with b-movie production.

Not an auspicious debut for Scorsese, but it does have its moments. It deals honestly with unions and issues of class, and Hershey and Carradine both give good performances. A guilty confession: I even like the crucifixion scene. But then again, like Marty, I was raised Catholic.

Not a great movie by any means.

It's exploitation but with Martin Scorsese directing of course the violence is stylised but nasty and there's a really awkward integration of his favourite religious imagery...overall he got a lot better at making these sorts of movies largely because he removed the exploitation elements. With them in it becomes something you can kinda drift in and out of, taking in the sweaty, intense mood rather than just taking in all the shagging and occasional slurs.

53.000

56.67.

It's just uninspired, a lazy copy of Bonnie and Clyde. But Boxcar is much more a Roger Corman picture, its producer, than a Scorsese's.

You know what, Marty? I'll go a bit easy on you with my rating because it's an early effort. However, it's nowhere near as accomplished as, say, 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' (which was released two years later). Probably mostly for Scorsese completists.

This is an early lesser work of Martin Scorsese's. It is better than your average B movie. It starts slow but gets better as the movie moves along. Both Barbara Hershey and David Carradine are good in in this movie.

44.875

It's clear from the first frames Scorsese tried hard to distinguish this from what he knew it'd be playing and classed alongside (fittingly, the old-film touches would be quickly and hollowly aped in another Corman joint, BIG BAD MAMA). He's helped enormously by Hershey, fighting tooth, nail, and gratuitous tit for roles and recognition commensurate with her talents. A concatenation of desperation, occasionally electrifying.

This is more Corman than Scorsese but there are flashes of coolness to go along with the boobs and shotgun wounds.