If Martin Scorsese is such a good director how come he can't come up with a story other than: "Wiseguys climb the mob ladder only to discover that the seduction of power and money is corrupting"? This movie is virtually identical to "Goodfellas." If I had wanted to see "Goodfellas" again I would have rented it.

Furthermore, if you're going to tell the same story over and over again, can't you figure out how to do it in less than two-and-a-half hours?

Joe Pesci epitomizes every problem with this movie -- his character is so ridiculously identical to the one he played in "Goodfellas," it makes you wonder if every two-bit Mafia hood is a weasely little guy like Pesci who can't control his temper. True, Pesci won an Oscar, but has he been in any roles where he isn't the obnoxious Northeasterner?

As DeNiro's miserable wife, Sharon Stone received a lot of press for her performance and a lot of support for a 1996 Oscar nomination. Why? I guess if the span between one's sole decent performance and the plethora of one's marginal, barely tolerable performances is the size of the Grand Canyon, then an Oscar nomination must be mandatory.