“Scorsese insists, as he has for years, that his films do not glorify violence, but express the fear he felt growing up on a Lower East Side ruled by Italian-American dynasties.” -from the article “Conversations with Martin Scorsese” 😂😂

That was how they lived, in prison or otherwise. So that’s what is shown. I’m not sure why you’re conflating glamorization with their lifestyle, which was decadent in many regards, but also completely reprehensible foundationally. I just watched this movie a month ago and it was very obvious that it’s the opposite of glamorized, it’s showing monsters. It is crystal clear in the movie that their lives are not enviable at all and they’re nothing more than low-bottom scum bags.

And obviously, yes, mobsters are interesting to most people. There have been countless movies and books about mobsters that have done very well in the mainstream. The market has proven that people are interested in mobsters.