I’m not going to say there aren’t similarities.
So while I can admit, these might be cousin movies, the themes are different.
Henry laments going legit and even bitches about lousy tomato sauce by the end.
He wanted to be in the mob forever.
Ace sees the whole thing as a giant albatross around his neck.
Ace’s biggest downfall is his ego.
Ace is so stubbornly principled that he can’t see anyone else’s perspective.
Life isn’t a pass/fail like it is with picking football winners on a Sunday.
These are the most interesting elements of Casino and the things that stick with me the most.
That’s why I have a hard time saying this is a twin movie with Goodfellas.
We have to talk about Lester Diamond, who might be the biggest piece of shit in movie history.
James Woods is so great to just dive in to be Lester.
I respect the movie for not going overboard to explain why.
Does she like the risk?
Did she just want to make Sam jealous?
I think it’s all of the above.
It’s shot so fucking well.
The way he makes Vegas look.
The explanations of how the casino operates and watches over us.
The mixing in of humor.
How he allows and shows the brutality of the end.
It’s his most beautiful looking movie.
That shot of Nicky driving in the reflection of Ace’s sunglasses.
Does it get any better than that?
Chris Noonan got nominated the same year for Babe.
Babe is a very good kid’s movie but what are we doing here?
I first saw Casino in the theaters on Black Friday in 1995.
I had just turned 16 and it absolutely blew my mind.
I couldn’t believe how good it was and how badly I wanted to see it again.
29 years later on the same day, I love this movie just as much.
The Silence Of The Lambs
8.
The Sixth Sense
10.
A Few Good Men
14.
The Truman Show
16.
There’s Something About Mary
20.
Schindler’s List
22.
Saving Private Ryan
25.
Dumb & Dumber
27.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
31.
Out Of Sight
36.
Carlito’s Way
37.
Wayne’s World
45.
Back To The Future Part III
47.
A Bronx Tale
48.
The People Vs. Larry Flynt
49.
Eyes Wide Shut
50.
The Green Mile
54.
Man On The Moon
55.
Boyz N The Hood
56.
Grosse Pointe Blank
57.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
63.
The Usual Suspects
65.
In The Line Of Fire
66.
My Cousin Vinny
67.
The River Wild
79.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Stir Of Echoes
82.
Mission: Impossible
83.
For Love Of The Game
86.
Being John Malkovich
87.
Men In Black
88.
Glengarry Glen Ross
92.
Die Hard With A Vengeance
93.
The Blair Witch Project
94.
Any Given Sunday
99.
The Wedding Singer
100.
