A Trusted Gamble

Rating: 10/10 (30 April 2013)

Talk with most guys, at least ones around my age and they'll tell you they're Goodfellas fans. In addition, or subtraction, they'll also mention Scarface and, no doubt, The Godfather I, II or both. (Laughably, no one ever seems to bring up III without wincing.) Me? I'm gambling Casino will be my mobster movie for all my days.
It's a safe bet. Revisiting Casino, for the first time in probably a decade, is like visiting an old friend. And for three hours, it's a ride I can't wait to take again. For, I've done it many times before.
I'm not one to like very long movies, or movies that move slowly – and before I go further, this is NOT one that ever moves a bit slowly. But, ever since it came out on video (originally on VHS, back then) I couldn't help myself. I literally watched this three-hour movie over and over. And over. To the point sometimes, when it went to credits, I would insert tape one (yeah, again, VHS, humph!) and start from the beginning.
I lovedand STILL DOthis movie so much, in so many ways, it was easy for me to continuously watch it. With this third purchase – VHS, DVD and now, BluRay, I can't wait to plug it to experience it another time.
This movie is so near perfect on so many levels and depths, it's hard to sum it all up in one review. The movie's onion layers keep surprising me with each viewing. And it's bonus of two movies in one is fantastic.
Movie One, or the first half, is made up of all-but fantastic, interesting and driven narration of how casinos work, the rise of the two best friends/street guys and the mobsters in 1970's Las Vegas. From all my research and first-hand experience, this mentality of the 1970's is fairly close to what it is today. In fact, it's almost dead-on. Naturally, some things do NOT happen today – the place is now like Disneyland: any bad press is VERY bad for the place. So, good luck in smashing a cheater's hands and not having a hundred reporters/bloggers tearing apart your casino the same hour.
Movie Two involves every bit of the mistakes these guys made in order to eventually rid Las Vegas of the mob. (There's a lot more to it than from this movie, but for this story, it's centered on these wise guys.) Originally, when I watched this countless times, I narrowed it down to one main slip-up: the firing of a connected relative. But, examining it this time, there were so many nudges to their house of cards, it's hard to add them all up. Each and every bump to the base playing cards had an involvement to everyone's downfall.
To top it all off, it's enormously interesting, fun, exciting and suspenseful to see how this well-laid based on true events played out. Oh, and I haven't even gotten to the acting.
I never once saw Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone or James Woods (amongst others) on the screen. Ever. These people were truly Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Ginger McKenna and Lester Diamond, respectively. How each of these excellent performances did NOT win Oscars is beyond me. Actually, while we're at it, how the movie didn't get nominated for, and win, for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Score, etc...baffles me.
I digress. These performances were mesmerizing. Each in their own way. All the way down to James Woods, whom I felt did the best of his career and Sharon Stone showing incredible depth.
Beyond the incredible feats by the actors was the brilliant direction, cinematography, story, score, soundtrack and pacing. Never did this movie feel slow, nor did I ever "check the time counter" because it's nearly three hours. The movie just kept going and on the right course. The plot unfolds as it needs to and the recounting of events and voice-overs were just as interesting as what was on screen.
This movie was so powerful, as were the performances, that I almost rooted for De Niro's Ace. His gal, Ginger (Stone,) not so much. On a side note, she was fairly despicable and we wouldn't have hated her so much, if not for Stone's great take on her. (Or, again, the weasel, Woods as Lester.)
Normally, I would absolutely and readily admit that I love this movie ten times more than the already very good Goodfellas or Godfather series because I am a gambler and have always (since early teens) been infatuated with Las Vegas and its history. It would be obvious that I'm naturally biased because of the reasons just mentioned. But, I am being honest: past my obsession with both gambling and Vegas, I loved this movie on all levels. Yes, it does help that this gives me a much more in-depth view of a certain segment of Vegas' past, I still love the journey Director Martin Scorsese gives me eachand...every time.