Brilliant and spectacular

Rating: Null/10 (29 June 2004)

I've watched Casino more times than I can count and it never gets old. It's right up there with Goodfellas though with Casino there isn't the same level of irony and humor that you find with Goodfellas but it's entertaining nonetheless. This is a tale of unchecked greed, out of control egos, excessive behavior, and ultimately self-destruction that occurs as a result of all the money, power, and obsession. The violence is right on par with Goodfellas maybe even more so and the violence is VERY necessary (including all the head shots) because it is both crucial to the story and faithful to what actually happened in real life. I love the two old guys in jogging suits running around killing everybody (they were Felix "Milwaukee Phil" Aldersio and Charles "Chuckie" Nicoletti who were credited with 36 killings). This was a tremendous performance for Sharon Stone and I'm sure it was the best of her career. She makes you loathe her, despise her, and hate her but she somehow manages to make you feel sorry for her by the end. DeNiro is dead on as usual and Pesci puts on a show that almost rivals Tommy DeVito. Casino may not have been as popular as Goodfellas but I believe the acting was just as good and the story was just as gripping. Scorsese must have been proud of himself and this was my favorite movie of 1995.