Goodfellas en casino

Goodfellas is one of the most influential gangster movies in film history, and it actually made it possible for another Martin Scorsese gangster movie to happen: Casino, and here’s how. Martin Scorsese has explored different genres throughout his career as a filmmaker, but he continues to be best-known for his gangster movies, and two of his most notable titles from that genre are Goodfellas and Casino, released in and , respectively.

Based on the book Wiseguy, by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas tells the story of mob associate Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), from his days as a teenager running errands for Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) and his crew in his Brooklyn neighborhood, to his full involvement with the Lucchese crime family and later his decision to turn against them and become an FBI informant. Goodfellas was a critical success, earning various nominations for different awards, and is widely regarded as not only one of the greatest movies ever made but also Martin Scorsese’s best movie. Goodfellas has heavily influenced the gangster genre since its release, and Scorsese continued on the path of gangster movies with Casino.

Related: Goodfellas: Every Gangster In The Bamboo Lounge (& Which Ones Are Real)

Casino tells the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Nito), a gambling expert handicapper asked by the Chicago Outfit to oversee the day-to-day casino and hotel operations at the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. However, between his job operating the casino, the mafia’s involvement, and more, Rothstein’s relationships begin to break, as are those with his wife, Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), and his childhood friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci). Casino was a critical and commercial success, and it was possible thanks to Goodfellas, as Pileggi also wrote the book Casino is based on.

How Goodfellas Influenced Martin Scorsese’s Casino

Casino is based on Nicholas Pileggi’s book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, which depicts the story of the alliance of mobsters Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro, along with their exploits working in mafia-controlled casinos in Las Vegas through the s and the early s. Pileggi began researching for Casino when he read a newspaper report about a domestic argument between Lefty Rosenthal and his wife, Geri McGee, which gave him the idea to write a true story book about mob infringement in Las Vegas, all this when filming of Goodfellas was about to end. Pileggi then contacted Scorsese about directing the project, which the director called an “idea of success, no limits”, and so he took the chance.

However, Pileggi intended to release his book and then work on the film version, but Scorsese tried to persuade him to forget about the usual chronology and publish the book after Casino was released in theaters. Pileggi’s book was ultimately published a month before Casino came out, and both the book and the movie were a huge success. Casino has a narrative style similar to Goodfellas, as the script was written by Pileggi and Scorsese, so they have the same informative writing style, and the story is supported by voiceover narration (though a lot more than Goodfellas did). Casino is one of Martin Scorsese’s most underrated gangster movies, and even though it has a lot to thank Goodfellas for, it earned its place in film history on its own merits.

Next: The One Actor Who Appeared In Goodfellas, The Godfather, & The Sopranos