Brian De Palma is one of those directors whose films are very polarizing (with a few exceptions, of course). Being that he no longer works within the Hollywood establishment and his output has been drastically reduced, I guess a documentary will have to do. And boy, what a documentary! Still, the word 'documentary' doesn't really describe this film that well, since it's more like a one-on-one conversation. De Palma is very candid about his past and doesn't shy away from emphatically stating his opinions on people he's worked with and his own work. One thing that did surprise me was how little Hitchcock, his clearest influence, was brought up. Not a criticism, just an observation. Clips from VERTIGO, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and REAR WINDOW are shown, though, in the context of techniques or stylistic features that De Palma learned from them. If anything, the range of artistic influences was much wider than I had ever realized before. Even if he never made another film, De Palma has left behind an incredible body of work that deserves serious study and consideration, and this documentary fills a void for everyone. It provides a nice retrospective for those already familiar and, for those not, a great place to start.

How much one enjoys DE PALMA depends almost entirely on one's opinion on the work of Brian De Palma or De Palma himself. For those who like De Palma's films, this new documentary will be a real treat. For those who dislike or are relatively indifferent to De Palma will most likely be completely bored throughout the entire running time. This is a documentary made for a very small audience: De Palma fans and general film fanatics.The whole movie consists of De Palma going through his complete filmography, talking about each one of his films with clips spliced into the mix. There are no additional interviews, which would be a problem if De Palma wasn't such an engaging speaker. In terms of modern day filmmakers, De Palma, even after a career that spans several decades, is still of the most fascinating personalities in the film industry, something that is clear throughout almost every minute here. While I won't say there's never a dull moment, a good 85% of De Palma's stories are entertaining and insightful. Even the stories he tells about his biggest flops like The Bonfire of the Vanities adaptation and Wise Guys starring Danny Devito are fun to hear. De Palma doesn't disown any of these productions, but he is quite candid about why certain ones weren't well received critically or commercially.The only real flaw is that a few of De Palma's films here get too much commentary, while a few gets too little commentary. Some of De Palma's most recent movies like The Black Dahlia and Passion are barely mentioned at all. Even if they are among his least popular films, it's disappointing that they aren't discussed enough here given the treatment all the other films seem to receive. Even with this imbalance,this is something that's worth watching more than once, just like the De Palma's films themselves. 8/10

Watching this documentary, one begins to realize how big of an influence De Palma himself in the world of movies. His output includes a little bit of every possible genre, and though he's not a young man anymore, he can still surprise us. He belongs to a group of directors that will probably never be matched in either their individual or collaborative work. He has definitely left a legacy worth enjoying and studying.De Palma started in the 60's, and the film gives some background on his earlier productions. It's the 70's where he started making movies that most of us are familiar with and will always associate his name with. He unleashed the world of horror with "Carrie", probably igniting a surge in popularity for King and himself. That film also introduced Sissy Spacek to us. The documentary continues to give us informational bits on most of his work, clarifying issues, telling us what he liked or he didn't like in some of the films, and how there were always unexpected developments in his productions depending on who his partners were.His work is for the most part quite remarkable. He combines beauty, obsession, and horror in films like "Body Double" and "Dressed to Kill". He works with some of the biggest stars in the world and directs hits or unexpected flops, but they are always memorable. Throughout the documentary, we admits his mistakes, and how his films could have been improved. He also tells us how other films which tried to imitate him fail because they might be going in a different direction. Overall, De Palma proves himself an artist, a man who loves movies, who understands them and knows how to make them. He values the association with a good writer, a good idea, and most importantly he is cognizant that there is no way one can work alone in a place like Hollywood, regardless of the risks and the benefits.

DE PALMA (2016) **** Engaging and informative documentary about filmmaker Brian De Palma with the auteur in full focus on screen recollecting his oeuvre with unapologetic frankness and good nature. Peppered with footage of his canon and self-effacing to a fault with its subject matter, filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow - friends and fans alike of the director - fully immerse themselves into the up and down career highlights and bumps in the road while his personal life is more or less a side note on the whole. For film fans and fans of De Palma a must sees to appreciate the once heir apparent to Alfred Hitchcock by employing The Master's zen philosophy of camera movement, editing and composition as well as his own imprint and impact as a force majeur.