When the banks took over the mob...

Rating: 9/10 (22 September 2018)

Gone are the days that the mob ruled in Las Vegas and their downfall is depicted in one heck of a infight amongst the last mobsters. Two of these dinossaur mobsters are Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci. Once friends, when the going gets tough however, they become bitter enemies. Will they all go down the drain or will they somehow find a way to survive this downfall of the mob in Las Vegas? That's the story.
Photography, soundtrack, editing, everything is done brilliantly. I personally think this is Scorsese's last greatest work of his carreer. Everything got a bit bland and predictable later on. But with "Casino" he delivers a magnificent portrait about GREED.
"Greed is good" that was the motto of the bankers who in the end took over the mob.
"Good Fellas" is the most popular and critically acclaimed american mob classic next to "The Godfather", but I think "Casino" deserves that second place more. This movie truly cares for it's characters. They become true to life. However obnoxious, crazy, violent and destructive these characters might be, I felt I got to know them as if I was their neighbour.
However brilliant this epic is, I guess it is not really suited for those who just want to see a fast and funny action movie about the mob. It is nothing like "Goodfellas". "Casino" is slowburning, subtle yet twisted and without the usual glorifying of violence, although it has lots of it on display...
Clocking at 3 hours this is one heck of an epic about how the banks took over the mob's rule in Las Vegas. Gambling became a legit business for banks at the beginning of the eighties.The same debt ridden banks that later went on to cause the most destructive global economy crisis in recorded history. I applaud Scorsese for that stinging observation at the end of this movie. And I applaud him even more for making this masterpiece. What a fascinating story to watch. Very impressive.