A gem from Scorsese. Is it me, or has Scorsese been racking up one
intriguing piece of work after the other since Cape Fear? All the
unopposed contradictions and attracting opposites built into a more
refined and deliciously intense mold than one remembers from Who's
That Knockin' on My Door?, Mean Streets, or even the later dated
Scarface.
Victorian New York was fascinating when Daniel
Day-Lewis romped around it, but '70's Las Vegas as a city surrounded by
threatening holes turns out to be one of the most frightening
portrayals of the American Dream. Gotta stay away from the
expressions 'right' and 'wrong' in Marty's films because the thing
that appeals can be the same thing that repels, or vice versa (more
vice than verse).
The cast, headed by DeNiro, is superb (every one of them). Sharon
Stone gives her most noticeable performance to date as she evolves
from the classy, clever hustler with a heart of gold, cash, and other
negotiables to the full-fledged hopeless masochistic junkie on a
collision course to self-destruction. She's managed to take home her
first Golden Globe for her fine tuned performance as the latest
Scorsese gunmoll.
The photography is on the spot. If you love beautiful shots, you'll
love details like dice spinning CU, chips flying, or car dust slashing
shades
A DON'T MISS.
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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