Counter-Currents
2,074 words 
Where I come from, although it was good, hard-working people trying to raise a family respectably, there was a lot of organized crime, and I saw a lot of violence where I grew up.
-Martin Scorsese
With the recent death of film director David Lynch, there has been much commentary on his place in the pantheon of American film directors. Lynch was a one-off, with a directorial CV including movies which bordered on horror without ever actually being in that genre. But, wherever Lynch comes in any league table of great American directors, there is one name which would be close to the top, if not in first place, in any avid film buff’s list: Martin Scorsese.
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4 comments
I have to disagree somewhat. One of the flaws of the movie is Sharon Stone. Her screeching performance was way over the top. The book depicted Ginger as the victim. “Lefty” Rosenthal, aka Sam Rothstein treated her miserably. Flaunting affairs and leaving her alone with their kid. Also I didn’t know that Pileggi was a former mobster? I knew he was married to Nora Ephron. But a made man?
Scorsese’s top two films are Goodfellas and The King of Comedy. This one is down the list quite a ways.
Gangster porn. Not interested. In fact, all of Scorsese films pale in comparison to a trio of David Lynch masterpieces; Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart.
But I will agree with you 100% about Bobby De Niro – what a Prize ASS he made of himself in 2024.
Casino is definitely good and worth a watch, but far from Scorsese’s best in my humble opinion. The shrill overacting of Sharon Stone got really annoying, but more importantly, the movie is really just a repeat of Goodfellas except in a different setting and longer. Hell, Joe Pesci basically played the exact same role in both films. Goodfellas did it first and, I think, did it better.
My favorite Scorsese films are probably Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York (Bill the Butcher alone makes it worthy of repeated views), and The Departed. I also recommend the highly underrated Color of Money, which is a worthy sequel to The Hustler.
I guess I’m the odd one out. I thought Stone was fantastic. And over time Casino is much more highly regarded than it was initially. I recall he was mainly criticized for gratuitous violence. Have to admit, the head in a vise is hard to watch. Yet still, I put this among his best. I also may be alone in loving Bringing out the Dead.
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