On a par with Goodfellas in my opinion

Rating: 10/10 (9 June 2012)

I think it is fair to say that Casino is overshadowed by Goodfellas, which was an enormous success on release. Many see Casino as simply a continuation of Goodfellas, after all it is set in the decades succeeding the events of Goodfellas. However, I feel Casino stands out as an equal to Goodfellas as a crime drama and in some ways, it fell it may be superior.
Casino follows Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (Robert DeNiro), a gambling handicapper, who takes control of the fictional Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Along with friend and mob boss Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), Sam ensures the money keeps rolling in and makes sure the bosses 'back home' get a little extra by 'skimming' from the casino's profits. As the years go by, Sam marries working girl Ginger (Sharon Stone), thinking that he can ensure her trust. However, money, drugs and betrayal ultimately get the better of them...
I think what I really like about Casino is the destructive love triangle of Sam-Ginger-Nicky which dominates the second half of the movie. I think their is a greater sense of ambition and the individual than Goodfellas, which was mainly concerned with the family. I also sympathised more with Sam than Henry Hill, as Sam has to cope with Ginger, who is troubled by drugs, alcohol and former lover/pimp Lester (James Woods).
Whilst it may be difficult to live up to Goodfellas, I think Casino does a pretty good job.