GOODFELLAS (1990) vs CASINO (1995) – Face Off

Some Face Offs are easier than others. You’ve likely seen us tackle plenty of Original vs Remakes where one of the titles didn’t stand a chance, but it’s always a fun exercise regardless. On occasion, we do like to challenge ourselves with a real doozy of a matchup; one where no clear winner is obvious right from the jump. This is one of those episodes, as we look at two brilliant films from one of the greatest directors to ever step behind the camera, Martin Scorsese. The films in question? That’s easy: 1990’s GOODFELLAS versus 1995’s CASINO, both classics in the organized crime genre. Both films were adapted from novels written by the legendary author Nicholas Pileggi.

Goodfellas chronicles the rise and eventual fall of Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, and his time in the mob. The rest of the cast was wisely rounded out with Robert De Niro, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, and Joe Pesci, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor with his turn as hot-headed Tommy DeVito. 5 years later, Scorsese would reteam with De Niro and Pesci for Casino, which follows the exploits of expert bookmaker and casino owner, Sam “Ace” Rothstein, largely based on the real-life Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. This time, the cast featured James Woods, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, Frank Vincent, and Sharon Stone, whose performance as beautiful hustler Ginger was singled out for acclaim. While both mob films on the surface, Goodfellas is considered a personal story told through the underbelly of the mafia while Casino is a sprawling tale of the control that gangsters had over the Las Vegas casinos throughout the 70s.