One of Scorsese's best and most disturbing films ever...

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2008)

I just watched Casino again for the first time since around 1998. The thing that I remember most vividly from seeing it that last time is being thoroughly upset by the scene in the cornfield at the end of the film. Most of the rest of the movie was overshadowed by the memory of that one scene, so I wanted to watch it again because I love Scorsese's films so much that not knowing about Casino was just acceptable. So I watched it again and I loved it again and my respect and amazement at the quality of the movie and the acting and the story and everything else was renewed, and nothing was that bad during the whole movie, so when the cornfield scene was coming up I thought, come on, there's only maybe 8 minutes left in the movie, how bad could this scene really be? Still, my heart was pounding in my chest. It was bad, man. It was real bad.
Now, when I say it was bad, I should clarify that it wasn't bad film-making, it was brilliant film-making. But it was too brilliant. It was so brilliant that it affects me as though I was watching what took place in that scene before me eyes in real life.
Scorsese gets a lot of bad press about his films being too violent (from my mom, anyway), and Casino is no exception. In fact, it's probably the flagship of violent Scorsese films. I've been an avid horror fan for more than a decade now, so violence doesn't really bother me, but Scorsese's violence has a grittiness and realism that sets it apart from most other types of film violence. It is graphic and sudden and has a gravity and an on-screen affect that makes it look like a documentary depiction of it. Spielberg achieved this same effect in some of the murders in the not so well received Munich in 2004.
Now, as I watch the end of Casino, I wonder what it's like watching the dailies with Scorsese, as he sees for the first time what they've captured on film. Do he and the other cinematographers that work with him jump up and clap each other on the back and pump their fists and yell, "YES!! We got it, that's the PERFECT shot!!" Or does Scorsese turn his head from the screen in disgust and whisper, "That's the one. Print it." I'm guessing (hoping) it's some combination of the two.
(spoilers) Odd, by the way, that the cringe induced by the final scene should be caused by seeing what happens to Nicky (Joe Pesci), who is by far the film's most violent and out of control character. The brutality of his character is as thorough as can be, but Joe Pesci is just so COOL. He plays almost the same character as he was in Goodfellas (an infinitely more watchable and, in my opinion, even better film overall), and he just does it so well. Makes me wonder what he's really like in real life. He can't really be like that, but he can't be that different, you know what I mean?
Sadly, no matter how good this movie is, I just can't watch that cornfield scene. I learned this afternoon that I don't ever want to see it again, just like I don't ever want to see that cop get his ear cut off in Reservoir Dogs. I think those are the only two scenes in any film I've ever seen that I really don't ever want to see again. Brilliant film-making though.
I haven't said anything about the myriad of brilliant performances yet, so I'll just say that Sharon Stone plays your typical hysterical woman, always shrieking for her money, her drugs, and her jewelry, her jewelry, her jewelry, for crying out loud, and DeNiro is brilliant as well (and as always). But Pesci steals the show in every scene though, including that last one. Now I need to go watch Home Alone to get that image of him out of my head...