Review of Casino (1995) by Vaikelly — 23 Mar 2011

Just when you think you've had enough of Martin Scorcese's gangster movies, comes this captivating new thrill - Casino! Scorcese has Robert de Niro subtle, meticulous, and ruthless, Joe Pesci is every inch the tough-guy gangster who never backs down, but has a temper that is rather too immature and loose.

Sam Rothstein (de Niro's character) is efficient and serves his bosses well - he's always sending the goodies back home! Sharon Stone's Ginger is a wreck, drug-induced, unstable, irrational, and apparently, very stupid.

Now, how did she lure Rothstein's cool cat personality to fall for her? That's everyday life for you - the smart, cool ones do fall for those types - beautiful, with a personality and body to match, until the gold sheens off the statuette day by day.

Pesci's fight scenes are brutal, but real. There is no pretence in these scenes - there is enough violence in the world to disguise such brutal depictions on celluloid. I enjoyed the desert scene, when Rothstein captures the essence in his narration as Pesci's character races through the desert - you didn't know what you could get from Pesci's character.

Casino is just a magnificently handled subject, Scorcese has not gone over the top or over-done it, it's impeccably handled, the actors are just apt in their parts, and it is just fascinating to see how the gulf spreads between de Niro and Pesci's characters.

Thumps up for Casino - if I may dare say it, it surpasses Goodfellas in its power and impact, and ultimately overpowers Scorcese's later movie, The Departed. Yes it does, I'm betting on it....