"Somebody once said, you have to wait 20 years before you can tell if a movie's any good or not so that's probably true"

This quote by Walter Hill is a reflection on the durability of art. He is recommending that it takes some time for a movie to be really appreciated and understood. He suggests that it is only after an amount of time has passed that we can genuinely judge the quality of a motion picture. This is because the context of the time in which it was made can be forgotten, and the film can be judged on its own benefits. Hill is recommending that it takes a minimum of 20 years for a film to be truly appreciated and understood. This is since it takes some time for the film to be seen in the context of the time in which it was made, and for its true quality to be valued. Hill's quote is a pointer that art is ageless, which it requires time for its real value to be valued.