How Others See Us

Rating: 10/10 (5 August 2005)

Casino is my favorite movie of the last decade of the last century. Just like in Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese rivets the audience to their seats without a real hero to root for. It's the power of the characters he creates.
Robert DeNiro as the gambler boss of the Tangiers casino in Las Vegas of the 70s and 80s and Joe Pesci gangster are long time boyhood pals from the mean streets of Brooklyn. Both move out to Las Vegas seeking their respective places in their related fields at the orders of the higher ups in the criminal world. But circumstance drives them apart and one of those circumstances is Sharon Stone.
People descending into degradation is always a role that will get you noticed by the Academy. Sharon Stone's part as Ginger is no exception here. She's a high price call girl when we first meet her and her descent into drug addiction isn't pretty, but Scorsese keeps it very real.
But the main story line involves DeNiro and Pesci. To see ourselves as others see us is one elusive goal not attained by many in this world. These two aren't an exception. Each can see how the other is screwing up and absolutely cannot see what he's doing.
The key scene in the whole film is when DeNiro and Pesci meet in the desert where a lot of problems have been known to disappear. If you can get passed all the cursing which is how you would expect gangsters to talk, each is making very realistic assessments about the other one and neither is listening to a word the other is saying.
This is why I love Casino so much. I've never seen that particular theme ever handled so well on the screen.