Jealousy. Greed. Ego. Desire.

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2014)

Casino is currently the last film in the legendary De Niro-Scorsese pair-up, and has aged incredibly well, after being underrated and dismissed as a clone of Goodfellas upon release. Indeed, the film sometimes might seem a remake. De Niro is the coolheaded professional, Pesci is the crazed psychopath, as the audience are again taken on a trip into the criminal underworld that predictably falls from paradise to hell.
Yet, it would be more accurate to call Casino a comparison piece to Goodfellas, as they match well while going off in satisfying tangents. The first hour of both is essentially the same setup. A glamorous exposition of their current gangster high-life, setting up the game and the players. Its quintessential Scorsese, with tracking shots, voice over exposition and a brilliant, catchy soundtrack. But here they diverge, as Goodfellas, the much shorter film, continues to deal with the work and its consequences, while Casino really delves into its characters as they lose themselves. Casino is certainly a character driven narrative (one could argue Goodfellas is instead a plot driven narrative made perfect by its characters). Our leading trio, the aforementioned males and Sharon Stone in a masterful portrayal of an enigmatic, destructive hustler, all inflate their egos with a deluded conviction of the correctness of their respective visions. In part because of being the lead, and in part as the least destructive character, De Niro's 'Ace' comes off best to the audience, but all are afflicted by delusions of grandeur and greed.
The film juggles the character's conflicts and growths well within the three hour film, which is itself a gorgeous depiction of the 'classical' period of Vegas' history, lamented as a relic today. The design, the visuals, the mood feels a different time, and is arguably Scorsese's most well-realised world. The soundtrack adds further to that. And Scorsese's direction is on top form, as is expected, and one finds it difficult to forget Scorsese's masterful hand guiding the film.
In terms of the performances of the leads, while De Niro is undeniably excellent, he is really the base from which the other two launch. Joe Pesci is at his very best here, surpassing Raging Bull and Goodfellas, and while the role is essentially a retread of the latter, it's expanded, deeper, and thematically goes with the film; the character is still a wild-card, but not nearly as much as a black sheep. His ego, his desire, they fuel him. Sharon Stone rounds it off, deserving of her Academy Award nom, providing a physical manifestation of Vegas: the money, the excess, the greed, the lure of self-destruction. Her relationship with De Niro is the core of the film.
The film is certainly excellent. And one tries not to compare it too much to other Scorsese films, especially Goodfellas. Yet its unavoidable when considering their similarity in theme, style and even cast & crew. Casino basks in its own excesses more than necessary- the length particularly. And it does many things right, but nothing much new. It's Scorsese at his most derivative of self, with the possible exception of being one of the few of his notable films to portray a strong leading woman (who is an independent character of herself) alongside the many men. The film is almost lazy in its unoriginality. And unfortunately it never matches the memorability of, say, Goodfellas.
Nonetheless, Scorsese is on top form, with a fantastic setting and cast, and worth a watch.