My Favorite Martin Scorsese Film

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2020)

I have never seen a film that captures the place it's set in so perfectly: Las Vegas. It reveals all of the dirty secrets the city has. One of them is that in the end, they get it all. All the bright lights and the poker tables and the slot machines and the room upgrades and the prostitutes and the booze, all of that stuff, it's all been arranged just for them to get your money. They're the only winners, the players are only pawns. The characters in the film have incredible depth, most notably Sharon Stone's character. Sharon Stone does a powerhouse performance in this film, especially towards the end. The film also has one of the best soundtracks ever. This is not the quintessential gangster movie, but it's definitely up there.