Review of Casino (1995) by Kyle20Ellis — 22 Mar 2022

I don't consider Casino Scorsese's very best film(Goodfellas is my personal favourite), but it is a fantastic film and definitely one to see. It is shocking, disturbing and unflinching in places, particularly the part where a head gets squeezed in a vice, but that added to the atmosphere rather than distracted from it.

Casino is brilliantly made too. I loved the setting, the cinematography and editing are outstanding and never take away from the atmosphere, and Martin Scorsese's direction is superb. The realism the film has is always absorbing, the subplots that form the story are intriguing and the characters are adeptly drawn.

The story for me has seldom a dull moment, not with the subplots as intriguing as they are, how well made it is, how good the characters and acting are. The characters also are deliberately less endearing than are seen with Goodfellas, making it perhaps a more even portrayal of unorganised crime, but the decision to do that paid off. The acting is equally impressive. Robert DeNiro the great actor he is is incredibly charismatic, Joe Pesci gives his best performance in one of his more meatier roles and Sharon Stone(who has never been this good or even sexy before) is a revelation in a very demanding role.

Overall, hugely compelling and underrated.