Scorcese: No such thing as pointless violence

Veteran director Martin Scorcese refuses to accept onscreen violence can ever be gratuitous, because it forms an integral part of the human experience.

The 61-year-old legend, who has captured some of cinema's most graphic violence in movie classics including Goodfellas, Taxi Driver and Casino, says blood is an essential ingredient of daily reality.

Scorsese says: "There is no such thing as pointless violence. City of God, is that pointless violence? It's reality, it's real life, it has to do with the human condition.

"Being involved in Christianity and Catholicism when I was very young, you have that innocence, the teachings of Christ. Deep down you want to think that people are really good - but the reality outweighs that."