In many important ways, Casino achieves more of what Goodfellas initially set out to do, like something perfected from a prototype.RELATED: Goodfellas & 9 Other Movies That Are Like The Sopranos But personally, I think Casino deserves recognition outside the shadow that Goodfellas has cast as its predecessor. Plus the unique way in which Scorsese and cinematographer Robert Richardson achieved that glowing effect from light sources during night scenes in Casino, as they did in another collaboration, Bringing Out the Dead, will always stand out to me as memorable.Īll in all, both Goodfellas and Casino are excellent films. But on the other hand, I admire the concision of ideas in the close-up of Ace’s face in Casino as Nicky’s car drives through the desert, lifting up a veil of sand reflected in his sunglasses. True, the Copacabana one shot in Goodfellas is a legendary piece of cinema that is one of the best examples of watching characters get immersed in the seedy underworld. I also prefer the cinematography and iconography in Casino over Goodfellas. However, Stone’s gutwrenching and physical performance of a drug addict slowly killing herself will always be seared in my mind as the most memorable. I love Goodfellas, applaud Lorraine Bracco’s brave performance as Karen Hill, Henry’s wife, and I will always praise the film for that classic moment when the voice-over narration changes to Karen’s point of view, with a female perspective in the narrative being a rarity for Scorsese. On top of all of that, Ginger married a man, Ace, whom she blatantly told up front she did not love, leading to a life devoid of true affection for them both. We see the tragedy of her own story as a woman controlled by both her substance abuse and her former pimp, James Woods’ Lester Diamond. She absolutely deserves recognition for her performance anchoring the dramatic tension of the movie as much if not more than De Niro himself.

Take Stone’s Oscar-nominated role as Ginger.

But even when you look around at other aspects of the film, Casino keeps scoring points in my head-to-head tally. Henry from Goodfellas just comes across as shallow compared to Ace.

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