Interesting character study

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2009)

The obvious is obvious: gambling is not as great an evil as once thought, gangsters make for good entertainment, and Scorsese is a master of keeping a yarn from getting tangled. The real star of the movie is not Scorsese, not Joe Pesci's great turn as an out of control mob boss, not even Las Vegas herself, which is such a great focus of the film. The star of the film was De Niro's talent and sensitivity in portraying a man who is never sensitive himself. Rothstein is fascinating, and as a character should stand Hamlet's modern equivalent in complexity. This movie draws a lot on the noir classic "Gilda," except without the indulgence of a good guy. Despite all of the action and violence, this is a very deep picture.