Scorsese's underrated masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (24 May 2016)

Scorsese is my favorite director working today. From his first great film Mean Streets to Wolf of Wall Street, he's given the world some amazing movies. Some are better than others of course, but I would be hard pressed to say that's he's ever made a bad film. Casino, when first released, was unfavorably compared to Scorsese's Goodfellas, and it's easy to see why. Based on another Nicholas Pileggi crime novel, the returning cast members Robert DeNiro, Frank Vincent and Joe Pesci, a long running time and "rise and fall of a gangster" plot.
But while Goodfellas is my number one Scorsese film (Followed closely by Raging Bull), Casino has slowly become one of my favorites. The violence is still sometimes hard to watch, two scenes come to mind that in my opinion, rival anything in Goodfellas in terms of visceral, shocking brutality. The infamous torture scene is still shocking, comparable to the ear amputation in Reservoir Dogs. Scorsese's eye for detail and use of narration serves him well, and the acting is across the board excellent. Sharon Stone deservedly won an Oscar for her role as hustler Ginger McKenna. And Joe Pesci is on fine form as hot tempered, coked-up muscle Nicky Santoro.
The eclectic soundtrack is great, filled with 70s classics like Jeff Beck's "I Ain't Superstitious" and Boogaloo Down Broadway. Robert Richardson's cinematography is amazing, capturing the gaudy style of the era perfectly. And longtime collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker edits the film beautifully and doesn't shy away from the sometimes brutal violence.
There are a few flaws. You could trim about 10 minutes of Nicky Santoro and his gang (We get the point, they're bad guys). And Robert DeNiro looks about as Jewish as Vladimir Putin. But these are minor complaints. A great film that i'll watch over and over for years to come. Highly recommended.