Martin Scorsese: Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best

8. Casino

Having previously collaborated with Nicholas Pillegi on Goodfellas, Scorsese returned to the world of the Italian mob with Casino, delivering another large scale gangster movie, this time set in Las Vegas. Robert De Niro returns for his eighth collaboration with Scorsese as Sam Rothstein, the gambling handicapper called in by the mob to oversee their operations in Vegas, while Joe Pesci delivers a subtle variation on his hard man role as Nicky Santoro, a person for whom violence is as much a part of his life as eating and sleeping. Scorsese's direction is as smooth and stylish as always, and the cast deliver fine performances across the board, particularly Sharon Stone as Rothstein's wife Ginger, inexorably unravelling into a shambolic mess as the film progresses. It might not be up to the same standards as Goodfellas and at times feels more like a retread than a fresh take on the gangster genre, but Scorsese's attention to detail coupled with some very memorable scenes (for instance Santoro's gruesome demise in a corn field) make this one to watch.