This is one of my new favorite film noirs. Its nice to see Pesci play a sleaze ball who still has some redeeming qualities. In true noir fashion, the woman is not to be trusted and love goes unrequited. I'm fascinated by this era; the cars, the clothes,the lingo, the general attitudes of the time. I almost would have liked to see this done in B&W although the cinematography is excellent. The basic themes of world weary cynicism and loneliness that Bernzini exhibits are feelings I can relate to personally. He roams through the streets of new york during WWII as a shutterbug taking gorgeous photos of tragic people and homicides. His work is art, yet he is seen as nothing more than an opportunistic dirtbag by most people. The femme fatale comes across as a woman doing what she must to survive in a cut throat business. She is drawn to Bernzini out of a mixture of respect for his art and pity for his sad existence. Great movie!

This movie is a character study, not an action movie. If you want buildings blowing up go somewhere else. Pesci is brilliant as Leon Bernstein, an independent New York photographer in the early 1940's. Jerry Adler, Jared Harris, and Stanley Tucci are excellent in small supporting roles. Also look for Richard Schiff, from the West Wing, as a competing photo hound. Barbara Hershey never looked better as the recently widowed owner of a dinner club who is being pushed out by the mob.Much of the story you can read elsewhere. Briefly, Pesci has dreams of getting his book of photographs published. Hershey needs help and thinks Pesci can provide it. He falls for her and gets more involved than he should. Is it his love for her, or his love of his art? Hershey gains an appreciation for Pesci's devotion to his craft, a devotion she found lacking in her self...but perhaps she really does have that devotion to something. It all plays out here in a nice, overlooked, noir tale that was beautifully filmed. Still not available on DVD. I would love to hear Pesci and Hershey do a commentary on this film. An overlooked gem.

Remarkable movie, great photography, good script, very good acting, dialogues are superb.I never heard of this movie before i saw it, but i was gripped immediately. Pesci was great as always. The faint, quickly fading smile on his face when she tells him someone referred to him as her boyfriend. Worlds of emotion behind his tiny eyes.A quote i'm not likely to forget and which made my belly hurt from laughing: 'Like the guy (who) used to shovel elephants**t everyday said to the circus-owner: What? Give up showbizniz?Only thing i can't figure out though:*spoiler*Why does sal betray his whole family? What do they have on him?See this movie.

Finally, an understated Joe Pesci performance - but unfortunately it doesn't make up for a paper thin plot, and a remarkable degree of heavy handedness with what plot there is (count how many times that his character is referred to as an animal). The Pesci character THE GREAT BERNSTEIN, is based on the 1940's press photographer WEEGEE, a fact that I don't see mentioned anywhere. Barbara Hershey delivers what must be said to be the finest bosom shots of her career. Does she care about Berstein, is she just using him, who knows. I collect cameras, and it was wonderful for me to see so many of them in use. It's a five star movie for shutterbugs, all others should look elsewhere.