"Today, it looks like Disneyland."

Rating: 10/10 (12 April 2014)

Martin Scorsese have gained a lot of respect and power through his films. Ranging from Taxi Driver to Goodfellas, his career have spawned one magnificent movie after another. His films are powerful, violent, well-crafted, well-directed and well-written. You can also say that in a lot of his films, there's a sense of ambition. In the case with Casino, it qualifies as another great piece of film-making from him.
The story begins in 1973, where Sam "Ace" Rothstein, (Robert De Niro), is sent to Las Vegas to run the teamsters-funded casino called The Tangiers. In the Tangiers, the mafia controls every aspect of activity. Sam becomes the boss of the casino, giving him full responsibility to run it. His best friend, Nicky, (Joe Pesci), is also involved with Sam's business of running the casino, giving Sam all the protection he needs. But, when a woman walks into Sam's life while playing on the craps table and also causing a disruption, he spots his eyes her. The girl's name is Ginger (Sharon Stone). Soon enough, Sam and Ginger get married. But, what Sam doesn't know is that Ginger is a prostitute and her unfaithful actions to him comes from her long-time pimp, Lester (James Woods). When Sam finds out about Lester, he takes matter into his own hands. As the film progresses, Sam's dreams are shattered when he starts to lose control of his casino empire and everything becomes too complicated to handle or bear.
The photography is very well done and it creates a sense of vibrant to the world of Las Vegas. Furthermore, Scorsese shows us how the casino operation works. There's one scene in the movie where Nicky narrates about what goes on in a specific room called the "Count Room." In the Count Room, casino managers count up all of the money that is collected from the players. It turns that the mob controls the casino and Rothstein is calling the shots. But, as the movie progresses, I felt that the film turn into a "How to" movie, where the viewer learns a thing or two about mob operations in Las Vegas.
There are other parts in Casino that I really like. Another criticism that I have is the relationship between Sam and his wife, Ginger. In this relationship, we see that Sam really love her, yet what he doesn't know is that Ginger doesn't love him. Sam, as a person wants to do right and set certain things right because he wants them to be this way. However, in the case of his relationship with Ginger, he is trying to help her get over her drug addiction. But, like the casino business, he can't seem to control her, and therefore, the result is very fatal and destructive.
Another thing that Sam can't control is his relationship with Nicky. Just like his wife and his casino managing, Nicky is a giant complication to Sam. He's out of control and throughout the entire movie, we see Nicky getting more and more arrogant about setting up his part in Las Vegas. That proves to be too much for Sam because he doesn't want Nicky get out of control. As a result, Nicky is becomes his own enemy toward the mob and that, his fate is ill-fated.
What Scorsese does in this movie and also with Goodfellas is that the mafia world is being used as a crutch and that the main character of both films set their standards toward the mob. Yet, even though his promises are convincing, they are really not what they seem to be. In other words, what one would warned to another, another does the impossible. In Goodfellas, Henry Hill is told by Jimmy Conway to never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut. In the end of Goodfellas, that promise is broken, yet there is a sense of resentment and regret. In Casino, the characters are all infatuated by what goes in Las Vegas. It's almost as if Scorsese change the location from New York to Las Vegas.
All the performances in Casino are astounding. Robert De Niro is excellent as Sam Rothstein, the man who wants everything done, but can never predict the problems that he has to face. Sharon Stone gives, I think, an Oscar-nominated performance as Ginger. This performance proves that Stone can act under so much pressure and destruction that creates her character to be convincing. Joe Pesci, who won an Oscar for his performance in Goodfellas, is effective as Nicky. Some people would say that Pesci is playing in the same field as in Goodfellas. But, Pesci is playing a character here. A character would can snap if he is push too far. All three performances really hold the movie together and all three should be given a certain amount of respect to their characters.
Scorsese continues to make movies after Casino, with other future works like The Departed and Gangs of New York. But, Casino is his second boldest. I say that because his latest film, The Wolf of Wall Street, is probably his most boldest yet. With the evidence of Casino, he really scores high with this masterpiece. He captures the life and glamor of Las Vegas life, yet I have to say that this film and Leaving Las Vegas really brings us to the world of Sin City, where the bright and shining lights are covered behind a sense of toughness and crime. Another film that failed to live up to Casino or Leaving Las Vegas is Showgirls, which fails to capture the toughness of being in Las Vegas. Casino is bold, bloody and brilliant and its ambition takes us deep into the heart and crime of Sin City. ★★★★ 4 stars.