Modern gangster saga

Rating: 9/10 (22 June 2009)

One of those movies that will surely withstand any test of time , a modern gangster classic that is also a must-study material for any student of drama ,for any acting school, or a necessary reference for the quality adaptation of a high quality literature by N.Pileggi on par with M. Puzo's The Godfather! Everything in here has its place , meaning , reason ,the characters have their psychological depth ( e.g. : Ginger's pathological dependence on her low-life pimp, who doesn't have to raise a voice for her to fulfill any of his junkie whims combined with her obsession with jewelery , expensive clothes , cars, drugs ,and consequently her indifference towards her own daughter ). Las Vegas is shown as hell on Earth ,where all the glitz , music , the most beautiful dancers and most popular entertainers are but a dream , a facade , that must lure as many 'suckers' as possible ,who simply cannot win ,and even if they do , measures as taken to bring them back to the pools and tables ,where they are destined to lose more than they might have won the previous night , and no cheap gambling tricks of any kind are possible ,as everything is constantly watched by ex-cons now in employ with the casino, with the god himself ,Mr. Sam Rothstein , flawlessly portrayed by R.DeNiro,while the money is coming,and the casino itself is but a money-churning beast with areas sealed off even for the manager himself, and when the coffers are on time and full, 'cappi de tutti capi 'are smiling and satisfied regardless of the number of unmarked graves in the desert around !And this dream has to come to an end ,and when this happens ,everything goes , the guilty and less guilty are disappeared ,as is the case with one of the most disgusting graphic scenes ever towards the end ! M.Scorcese at his best!