The gangster movie that influenced Martin Scorsese the most: “For me, an inspiration”
For many years, Martin Scorsese has showcased his passion for one specific genre, coming to be known as the founding father of this story after many years of returning to it. After growing up in a divided area of New York city, the director was exposed to violence and toxic masculinity from childhood, with his tales from the streets becoming the sole inspiration for many of his films, continuously returning to stories about twisted gangsters and those who are stuck in a life they can’t escape.
From GoodFellas to The Departed and Gangs of New York, Scorsese loves a good bust-up between rivals, usually accompanied by some fitting song choice and the slick editing of Thelma Schoonmaker. The subject matter at the heart of his gangster epics encourages us to reflect on deeper issues relating to gender norms and the male obsession with violence, being both entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking, as Scorsese hammers in his critique of instincts we convince ourselves are outside of our control. But while he may seem like a pioneer of this genre, the director described one film that most influenced his love for the story that has come to define his career.
Failed shootouts, back-stabbing friends and complex family dynamics are all staples of the gangster epic, whether it be the story of Billy and Costello or Henry Hill. Many tropes have come to be associated with the story, with audiences anticipating the strained relationships and high-stakes action sequences that make for thrilling and utterly compelling stories.
But while Scorsese might be known for these trademarks, many before him did it first, with Irving Lerner becoming a strong influence on the director. The director is most known for films like Murder by Contract, City of Fear, and A Town Called Hell, the former being a keen source of inspiration for Scorsese when creating his own films.
Murder by Contract, released in 1958, follows a ruthless contract killer called Claude, who is given an extremely difficult woman as his next target. However, while it sounds like a simple enough take on the genre, Scorsese shared his thoughts on exactly what it was that made it so groundbreaking and why it became the blueprint for his own work.
Scorsese reflected on the film, saying, “A highly unusual, spare, elemental picture made on a low budget by Irving Lerner—a lesson in moviemaking. It’s about a hired gunman (Vince Edwards), and it’s from his point of view. The scenes where he’s alone in his apartment preparing for a hit were very much on my mind when we made Taxi Driver, and we studied the haunting guitar score and its role in the action when we were working on the music for The Departed with Howard Shore. For me, an inspiration”.
There are traces of many great classics in every modern masterpiece, with directors becoming known for their inclination to steal and pay homage to the films that inspired them when finally translating their own vision to the big screen. Scorsese is no different, and as an avid cinephile himself, the snippets of Murder by Contract in his filmography make complete sense.
