Great Cure For Insomnia

Rating: 3/10 (10 February 2007)

To me, a shocking misfire from great director Martin Scorsese. This movie could have been great, but it was really miscast. Robert De Niro is a great actor, but he was wrong for this movie. For one, he doesn't even bear a slight resemblance to the real Ace Rothstein. He is just sleepwalking through the entire movie, and his cigarettes seem to be more animated than he is. Sharon Stone is good in her role, but she is just so unlikable that you don't feel any sympathy for her. Same for Joe Pesci. He has none of the humor that he brought to his role in "Goodfellas", where he played another mob psycho.
That is why I hate this movie, because all three lead actors are so unlikable that you don't care what happens to any of them. Only the supporting cast, led by Don Rickles and Alan King breathe any life into this movie. James Woods is great in his limited role as well. Funny how you sympathize more with his scumbag role than you do with the other three. Woods could have been the lead in this movie. It just goes on FOREVER, and there are long stretches where you feel like nothing happens. A great cure for insomnia.
This was the last Scorsese/De Niro film, but hopefully not the last. Scorsese seems to have gotten his balls back with "The Departed", and it would be great if someone would write a good script for these two.