Yet there’s a certain camaraderie and flow that Goodfellas has that Casino either lacks or repeats. Casino may even be better filmmaking- it’s got more meat, the narration is some of the best I’ve seen, it’s dazzling, and it birthed Scorsese’s best female character. I watched it again for the first time since I was a kid and there isn’t a false note. That being said I still prefer Goodfellas.
It’s a different era, different mob, different setting, and different characters with more nuanced performances from all 3: De Niro, Pesci, and Sharon Stone. The two films are actually quite different, and while I can understand why some say “he’s not covering any new ground”, I personally couldn’t disagree more.
I think enough time has passed, and Casino has finally become appreciated as one of Scorsese’s finest works.
