A group of characters from The Godfather: Part II on the movie's poster
Within the crime genre, one can suggest or imply that a life of crime doesn’t pay, or one can rub the audience’s face in the notion that engaging in crime is a terrible idea. Plenty of the time, movies aren’t subtle about this, and it does lead to some films – particularly those about gangsters and organized crime – getting pretty dark thematically, and appropriately bleak while conveying a message.
9 'Killing Them Softly' Director: Andrew Dominik Hearing or reading the words “an Andrew Dominik film” ought to tip you off that you're in for a likely feel-bad time, and so it’s not too surprising that his spin on the gangster genre, Killing Them Softly, will just so happen to softly kill your hopes and dreams of a happy end. That’s not to say the film isn't engaging, or even darkly funny at times.
7 'The Public Enemy' Director: William A. Wellman If you watch enough gangster movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age, they do start to feel a bit familiar after a while. Plenty concern strict rise-and-fall narratives, increasing this sense that as soon as things start getting good for the central character, you can start counting the minutes until things ultimately get turned around, and they begin their financial/moral/physical decline, often ending with death.
It's one of Abel Ferrara’s strongest directorial efforts, and is also a good argument towards the notion that Christopher Walken should’ve played even more gangster/criminal characters during his career. Its New York City setting gives it an appropriately dark and sometimes dirty feel, and though it’s stylish and compelling, it’s also a bit of a downer, in the end. That’s just how it is, sometimes.
Much of the violence, anger, and terror comes from Joe Pesci’s fiery performance, but things are also so much bigger than him, with Las Vegas as a whole painted as a violent and corrupt city, all because the mob could run the place through owning so many casinos. It’s nearly three hours of betrayals, beatings, whackings, arguments, threats, and robberies. It is relentless, but Casino is supposed to be, and it’s possible to call it one of Scorsese’s absolute grimmest.
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