Many films have been set in Las Vegas, but few capture the city’s darker side like Casino. Martin Scorsese’s movie isn’t just about the glitz and glamour; it’s a portrait of vice, a city built on corruption. It’s a film that speaks even to those who dislike mob movies, as it illustrates how hubris and greed can destroy a life.
Casino is a masterpiece of betrayal and destruction. It’s a mob story, but not on the ground-level like Goodfellas; instead it’s about the men who controlled those other mobster types in NYC and then lost everything to their own lust, greed and treachery. It’s also a great example of how a director can create compelling drama through characters and plots, rather than through clumsy narration or excessive violence. Robert De Niro is a revelation as the shrewd Sam “Ace” Rothstein, Sharon Stone brings something special to her role as feisty hustler Ginger McKenna and Joe Pesci delivers a frightening villain who’s never far from danger or the action.
There are plenty of great sequences in this film, from a spectacular opening featuring a prowling Steadicam as it glides through the back rooms of casinos to a money counting scene that highlights the ways in which crooks skim off the top while the gamblers are distracted by their drinks and the allure of the games. And the way that the story moves from a fast-cut documentary approach to a more conventional narrative is handled so skillfully that it doesn’t seem like the switch has ever happened.
