Don't Be Fooled!

Rating: 5/10 (22 January 2002)

This movie is entertaining, for sure, but just one attentive glance at the editing and you know Scorcese's struggling to make it work. The voice-overs simply function to move the plot in places where the filmed action can't take it. A film relying on voice-over for exposition is usually missing some pieces. Plus as a movie about how relationships can dissolve there really isn't much to work from. The Rothstein/Ginger connection is totally breezed over and you get no real sense of their relationship, other than "he's controlling" and "she's nuts." Plus Joe Pesci is simply reprising his role from Goodfellas. In fact it seems the entire movie is just a Goodfellas retread, but without the great pacing and script that kept that classic together. Just because Martin Scorcese directed it, doesn't mean it's good!