Casino (1995)

Casino (1995) – Greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two mobster best friends and a trophy wife over a gambling empire.

Year of Release: 1995

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast:

Robert De Niro – Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein
Sharon Stone – Ginger McKenna
Joe Pesci – Nicky Santoro
James Woods – Lester Diamond
Don Rickles – Billy Sherbert
Alan King – Andy Stone
Kevin Pollack – Phillip Green

I thought I should write about the first movie I ever saw that really grabbed hold of me and demanded my attention. Sure, I had seen plenty of kids movies before this, but the day I accidentally walked in on Casino changed the way I viewed films and gave me an appreciation for something that I can’t imagine ever losing. For anyone who hasn’t read my About Me page, the name for my blog came from the scene in which Joe Pesci’s character ‘Nicky’ decides the best way to get information from someone is to put their head in a vice. I walked in one this exact scene and here I am many years later writing a blog named after it.

Exact scene I walked in on…..

As for the actual film, Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese. The two previously collaborated on the 1990 film Goodfellas. Casino is about a gambling prodigy called Sam (Ace) Rothstein, played to perfection by De Niro, who supervised a thriving hotel casino in its glory days. He is more of a number-cruncher than the swaggering mobster he portrayed in Goodfellas. So Ace depended on the protection of his vicious best friend, Nicky Santoro, superbly portrayed by Joe Pesci.

Nicky & Ace

Ace was so good that whenever he made a bet, he could change the odds for every bookmaker in the country. This is how he got into the life, by being a genius at what he was doing with numbers, he proved to a lot of guys in the Chicago Mafia that he was a tremendous earner and therefore he could make a lot of money for them. Seeing the logic in his argument, the mob back home decided to set Ace up with his own casino and run it from under the protection of those guys. With his friend Nicky by his side, nothing can go wrong, surely!? Enter Sharon Stone as Ginger. In a role that won her a ‘Best Actress‘ nomination at the Oscars, she toys with Ace’s heart and despite marrying him and giving him a child, she never loved him and set out to take what she could whilst keeping her ex-junkie boyfriend Lester happy. The story unravels and friendships are tested, ultimately deceit and greed overcome everything and we get a thrilling journey with a superb ending.

The beautiful Ginger

At over 3 hours it is not a short film, but time flies every time I watch it and it’s something I watch at least once a year. It really is such a great movie. The performances are practically perfect, and directed by the master that is Scorsese, Casino really deserves to be seen. Flashy 1970’s costumes, a terrific score and beautiful images throughout, it really is a masterpiece. I can’t believe it is 18 years old, and re-watching it again now on Blu Ray it still looks so good. Sure, there are probably better looking explosions and more realistic looking dead bodies in more modern films, but this doesn’t detract at all from what Casino offers.

It is a violent film, but most of the violence is brief, aside from a scene in the cornfields that is, which is heartbreaking and brutal. That was also the only time I felt any sympathy for Nicky (SPOILER – and typically as a Sopranos fan it was that scumbag who turned on him!) There is also some brief drug use and lots of swearing. The word ‘fuck‘ is said 422 times, including in the narration – 2.4 times per minute on average. The film used to hold the Guinness world record for the most swearing in a film.

Cornfields always remind me of this scene…..

With Pesci and De Niro turning up again in a Scorsese film, it might seem on the surface that Casino is just Goodfellas in Las Vegas, but this would be an unfair and naive assumption, which disregards the true story on which the film is based. It also features a dual narrative, with both De Niro and Pesci’s characters providing their versions of events in alternating voice-overs. This device works brilliantly, adding a real layer of depth. It also makes the unfolding fates of the two protagonists all the more curious to the audience, especially as the film opens with someone getting blown up in a car.

Like his collaborator Nicholas Pileggi, an author famous for his mobster obsession, Scorsese makes these films, not because of the kudos that surrounds such characters or because gangster films are cool, but because of a genuine fascination for that lifestyle and the quality of the stories that arise out of it. Such passion shines through in Casino, a masterfully directed, acted and edited epic which confidently takes its time in telling its story because, like Vegas itself, it knows that it will dazzle and seduce you.

Scorsese & De Niro

In closing, I’m sure I haven’t even come close to doing Casino justice with my words. It really has to be seen to be appreciated. As a huge De Niro fan it’s also a reminder how good he can be. Younger readers may only know De Niro from the ‘Meet the Parents‘ franchise, or some of his more recent supporting role performances, but I implore you to check out the master in one of his last truly great roles. I would definitely rank Casino higher than 164th place. Whilst my guest contributors give out perfect scores like they are going out of fashion (or like a Film Hipster!) a 10/10 rating is something I have never given a film. Yet. There are a couple in existence which I will review very soon. Casino comes close, like a 95% or something, but not quite the full 10 heads in vices.

Posted by Tysoncarter182 on May 22, 2013

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