Casino, at cut above most

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2012)

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese collide in their eighth and final (to date) film in their partnership in this true story about gangster who get it all wrong. Based on the true story of Frank Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro this was bound to be good and by geez it delivered. Voiceovers, constant background music and also constant swearing (423 f-bombs!) result to make a very powerful film that is very well acted and also is told brilliantly. Scorsese uses a method which he also used in Raging Bull where he begins from near the end. The first voice-over really gets you interested, as soon as Robert De Niro's character says this you know the film is going to be good: 'When you love someone, you've gotta trust them. There's no other way. You've got to give them the key to everything that's yours. Otherwise, what's the point? And for a while, I believed, that's the kind of love I had'. This first line got me interested immediately and I am sure it will make most viewers want to watch for the whole three hour period. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci come together in a film for the third time and once again they click instantly, De Niro the successful guy who runs the casino, Pesci the man who stops anyone get in De Niro's way, it really is great stuff and you really start to believe that they are the characters and are not just acting. Sharon Stone showcased her talent like no one thought she could in this film and certainly deserved her Oscar nomination. The rest of the cast are also brilliant and get you into the film with such ease it seems like you can't see or hear all the carnage that is going down on screen. Music plays a huge part in the film and in fact there are 61 different songs used in this film, most of them actually being proper songs that are not soundtrack songs. The one criticism for the film is that sometimes the music was on at unnecessary times and you could occasionally not hear as well as you might. To compare this to other Robert De Niro-Martin Scorsese films would (in my opinion) put it third on the list and this was certainly an amazing film. Comparing it to other gangster films is a bit different but I would still say it it up there with such masterpieces as The Godfather, if not possibly better. Watch this if you are not disturbed by scenes of ultra-violence and world record swearing, it will be damn well worth it.