Roll dem bones

Rating: 6/10 (22 March 2012)

Two people whose movies I try to avoid are Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone; Pesci is a one trick pony with a very tired act, and SS just nauseates me. So, clearly, I held off seeing Casino for many years. The other day it was at Half Price for a dollar so I picked it up. I always enjoy stories about Vegas; it's fun to peek behind the scenes of the casinos. This was one of the last good roles DeNiro had, before he descended into the Valhalla of romantic comedies with the likes of Ben Stiller. The good is simply the story itself, which is essentially true. (It is certainly NOT true that the mob was not skimming in Vegas until the 1970's). DeNiro was good, especially when he tried to deal with an old friend who he realized and always knew was an out of control idiot. DeN was clearly ready to jettison Pesci if that was what it took to keep the casino running, but was afraid he could not do so because Pesci was a made man and DeNiro, a Jew, was not and never could be. The scenes "back East" with the big boys were always well done; good supporting jobs by all involved. Don Rickles was good. The bad, aside from Pesci and Stone, were: the soundtrack; I felt it got in the way because it was continuous, too loud, and often at odds with the tone of what was showing on the screen. The lighting; in many scenes Scorsese put a hot spotlight on a character or a desktop. I just can't figure out what he was trying to do. The running narration was not needed after the first few scenes. All in all, I'd recommend it. Get a bottle of pure strength ammonia to sniff whenever Stone appears on the screen and you will be OK.