An epic vision from Scorsese

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2006)

"Casino" is a three hour look into 1970s Las Vegas, and how the Mob once held vicious control over how it operated. Robert De Niro, in one of his finest performances, plays a well-to-do perfectionist whose obligation is to get things done right. A superman for running his Casino, his kryptonite is Sharon Stone. She's a sultry casino hustler who makes her way in big bills by making sure all the "insiders" are taken care of. De Niro is in love, but she warns him she doesn't love him, but still agrees to marry him. There's also Joe Pesci, playing a loud-mouthed, violent buddy of De Niro's, who will jump on anyone who makes him feel threatened.
All in all "Casino" is a terrific ride, and also very long. One is of course, reminded of "GoodFellas", because Pesci plays basically the same role he played there. And of course there's all the violence and destruction, but we like this. For three hours, I was never bored. I was aware how long I had been sitting, but I never found myself tapping my fingers. Scorsese knows how to keep his audience intrigued, and this is a good thing at 180 minutes.
Then there is Sharon Stone. I must say I was very surprised with her performance. She is over-the-top in many scenes, but her character is initially an annoying child. So this is how she is supposed to play it. Trust me if you don't think Stone can play it cool, watch "Basic Instinct" again. Although she never has had a very impressive career, she has had her share of good roles (Along with "Casino" and "Basic Instinct", watch her in "Total Recall", "Last Dance" and "Gloria"). She earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, and deservedly so. I think her performance is astonishing, and definitely puts "Casino" into a higher league then it would have been had it not had her in it.