How do you guys rank this movie let me know, I love it but Joe Pesci (SP) plays the same character he always does, but the best part is when the dude's head is in the vice and his eyes bug out

It used to be my favorite mob movie, but now it's Goodfellas. You'd have to give me a list to rank it, but for me I'd rank them:

1) Goodfellas
2) Raging Bull
3) Godfather I
4) Casino
5) Godfather II
6) Godfather III

"Casino" doesn't have the slam-bang action and mordant humor of "Goodfellas." But it tells a big story in great detail and is superbly filmed. It has DeNiro's best performance in a long time, grade-A Pesci, and the usual Scorsese casting brilliance (Don Rickles, Tommy Smothers and especially James Woods, the Sultan of Smarm). But the real champ is Sharon Stone, who's so authentic she's frightening as she deteriorates in front of our eyes.
I rate Scorsese's films in this order: 1) Raging Bull, 2) Mean Streets, 3) Goodfellas, 4) Casino. The fact that it's last in this list just shows it's in exemplary company.

But I dont think a Good Mob Film needs the Slam Bang effects that Goodfellas had

Casino is a great movie, but it is constantly under rated beacuse it was directed by Martin Scorsese and acted by Robert De Niro, who joined to make some of the greatest movies ever, so when they do just a "good job", it feels like they failed. something like Godfather Part III. if it wasn't for Parts I and II, it wouldn't be so underrated.

Casino ****
9.5/10
#18 (in my Top 100)

Explosive and highly engaging documentary-like epic with fine performances and direction, headlong pace and an inspired soundtrack.

How I rate Scorsese's Mob films:
Mean Streets
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Casino

but, while it isn't a mob film at all, I think Taxi Driver is better than all of those, though all five are in my Top 20.

Mick

True. That's one of the reasons I rate "Mean Streets" above "Goodfellas." "Mean Streets" is absolutely one-of-a-kind--Keitel's greatest performance and DeNiro's second-best (after "Raging Bull").

It might be Keitel's greatest performance (although Pulp Fiction & Reservoir Dogs have got to be up there) but this is not De Niro's 2nd best performance. Raging Bull is his best, followed by either his role in Goodfellas or Godfather II. I couldn't stand his character in Mean Streets. I'm not a Mean Streets fan (I thought it was stupid, except for Keitel).

To dismiss Mean Streets as "stupid" is insane. If you don't connect with it, fair enough, but it is by far the best summation of Scorsese's oeuvre: a gritty, experimental, explosive slice of everyday life of mob connections, impossible relationships, and of course Scorsese's fascination with Catholicism runs all the way through it as a major theme. De Niro's acting reaches the height of intensity only parallelled by that in Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. He's great in The Godfather Part II, of course, but he is restrained in that as an intensely calm character, whereas in this his acting is at its at its very height: excessive, random, and totally believable.

A lot of "supposed" Scorsese fans don't appreciate this film, which is his first masterpiece, and arguably his best. Perhaps it is their age or inability to relate to the era and people it represents. Either way, if you don't like it, it can in no way be degraded as "stupid." Especially by somebody who loves every single CGI-led comic book adaptation that comes out (every other week).

Mick

Wo, cool that s**t right there. There is NO WAY POSSIBLE, that Mean Streets is a better movie than Raging Bull or Goodfellas!


Hey, we all have different tastes. Don't disrespect the comic book movies. As for Mean Streets, sure I didn't appreciate the time & era (but I did in both Godfathers). It's not that (time & era thing), it's just the movie. I'm sorry, but Mean Streets is only "stupid" in my opinion.

Wo, cool that s**t right there. There is NO WAY POSSIBLE, that Mean Streets is a better movie than Raging Bull or Goodfellas! [/b][/quote]Which is why I said "arguably," because, as with Hitchcock, Scorsese has directed many fantastic films, and so which one is his best is always going to be arguable.

And regarding it as "stupid" is even more stupid than saying it is stupid. It may be boring to you, pointless, lacking depth, but like I said, it is the summation of his work, and undeniably great. As much as you may not like it, you cannot deny its brilliance as a film.

Mick

Casino is a great film.

I rank the mob movies like this:
1. The Godfather
2. The Godfather Part II
3. Goodfellas
4. Casino
5. The Godfather Part III
6. The Untouchables

Scorsese's films:
1. Goodfellas
2. Casino
3. Raging Bull
(never seen Mean Streets)
4. Taxi Driver
5. Cape Fear

I like Casino it's my favorite, and I consider it better than Goodfellas, because Robert De Niro and Joe Pecsi do a much better job, i my opinion

I like Casino a lot, but I would rank it third, behind GFI & II. I like it better than Goodfellas, but only slightly.

I think Casino is DeNiro's best performance - his portaryal of Ace/Lefty Rothstein/Rosenthal is superb. I think part of the reason that it doesn't get as high of praise as Goodfellas is that it was released afterward. Plus Pesci's character is essentially the same in each film. I love the support characters of Rickles & Woods, plus the guy who plays Remo. But even though she gives a good performance, I despise Sharon Stone's character. I wish Ace would have whacked her for being such a greedy bitch.

My favorite scene is when they catch the cheaters and give them a warning in the backroom. The ending is absolutely brutal, but it does give the film closure.

It might be Keitel's greatest performance (although Pulp Fiction & Reservoir Dogs have got to be up there) but this is not De Niro's 2nd best performance. Raging Bull is his best, followed by either his role in Goodfellas or Godfather II. I couldn't stand his character in Mean Streets. I'm not a Mean Streets fan (I thought it was stupid, except for Keitel). [/b][/quote]STUPID? Are you kidding me? Mean Streets is THE New York film, it shows the consequences of living in the crime underworld and the ending is just PERFECT. As Capo said, if you can't connect to it it's one thing but a movie as great as this? It's like saying Casino was shit.

Keitel, DeNiro, Proval, everyone was excellent. The montage-like end was perfect. I consider Goodfellas better but I can see how some can consider this better then those movies. If you were expecting a Goodfellas-esque mob movie then you need another view because it's not that at all.

And Irish, Mean Streets didn't take place in the same time as The Godfather :rolleyes:

I love Casino. Personally, I feel its one of the best mob movies, and its one of Scorseses modern masterpieces. This is how i rank Scorceses fims:

1. Taxi Driver
2. Goodfellas
3. Ragingbull
4. Casino
5. Mean Streets

My favorite Scorsese films:

1) Goodfellas
2) Raging Bull
3) Gangs of New York
4) Taxi Driver
5) Casino

I liked the movie, but I thought the book was brilliant. If Bugsy Siegel invented Las Vegas, then Lefty Rosenthal perfected it. Read the book for a better appreciation of Rosenthal's genius.

The real-life "M&M Murders," the basis for the head-in-the-vise scene, is part of local mob legend in Chicago.

tony b.

I have always thought Casino was an excellent film. Better than Goodfellas. In the mob movie genre, I'd rank Casino 3rd. Behind Parts 1 & 2 of the Godfather. Which are the greatest mob movies ever made IMHO.