Worth Experiencing

Rating: 6/10 (25 January 2004)

It is unfortunate that 'Casino' is usually perceived merely as a critique of the Mafia. Much more than a cliché condemnation of the criminal underworld, the film delivers a mordant 'j'accuse' against the degradation of the self-destructive socioeconomic system (including cops, government bureaucrats, politicians) that generated and institutionalized the Mafia's role in contemporary Americana.
Upon relocating to Las Vegas, childhood friends Sam Rothstein and Nicky Santoro (Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci) submit their gangster experience to the disposal of the local mob network, which controls the gambling industry. Rothstein rapidly excels as a Mafia-sanctioned casino manager luxuriating in a Roman lifestyle, while Santoro successfully commands the rougher, more violent aspects of the underworld business. Soon, however, their virulent lifestyles and incessant greed leads them to a downward spiral of confrontation and deceit, accentuated by their common lust for femme fatale Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone).
This fascinating Franco-American co-production ought to be commended for its caustic inquiry into the rotten economic foundations of the American dream. Moreover, it achieves this without seriously compromising its solid cinematic components (storytelling, cinematography and overall cohesion), while also giving prominence to Stone's extremely well-acted, visible female character, amid all the Mafiosi male chauvinism.
On the downside, the screenplay is often vaporous, and some of the inevitable violence is truly stomach churning. Yet these deficiencies should not discourage hardened fans from taking a look. Worth experiencing, 6.5 stars out of 10.