Scorsese unstintingly reveals the viciousness of the old school Vegas powerbrokers.

Rating: 7/10 (29 August 2010)

Casino constantly dazzles with visual, auditory and thematic stimuli. A gambler (Robert De Niro) assumes managership of a Mob-run Las Vegas casino, only for dealings with his former call-girl wife (Sharon Stone) and a petulant bodyguard to expose him to his enemies.
It's a film both of excess in both content and form, bloated at almost three hours. One could argue that voice over and soundtrack to bridge the gaps between set-pieces, but those set-pieces are masterful. Joe Pesci's performance - a hyperactive retread of his Goodfellas (1990) schtick - is a weak spot, but De Niro and Stone (the real revelation here) are very good indeed. It's arguably director Martin Scorsese's most underrated film.