This is unlike most other Scorsese films. It is the only one
to feature a woman in the central role and one of only a handful set outside of
the East Coast. As a result it feels amongst the least Scorsese-esque of his
films. The direction is fairly straightforward. There are no trademark long
tracking shots, very little popular music and cutting is slow and traditional.
One area in which Scorsese does stick to type is with Bertha’s moral ambiguity.
At the beginning she is a sweet young girl but towards the end she is a woman
who will do anything it takes to survive and appears to enjoy the wilder side
of life. The film also contains Scorsese’s trademark violence, especially in an
unexpectedly brutal final scene.
