All Bets Are In.

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2019)

'Casino' is probably the last of the real epic mob dramas. Martin Scorsese's stylish tale of power, greed, and deception is based on real-life organized crime associate, Lefty Rosenthal. The screenplay is penned by Scorsese and his collaborator from 'Goodfellas', Nicholas Pileggi. The movie is three hours long, and it might feel like it drags on places, but the writing is perfect. And what fantastic performances by the actors. The main cast (Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Don Rickles, and Sharon Stone in one of her best roles) is supported by magnificent mob movie heavyweights like Vinny Vella and Frank Vincent. Nearly half of the movie is told through narrations that are quite descriptive, so it almost feels like you are watching (listening) visual audiobook. But the narrations are spot on and contains some of the best lines from the movie. Especially the ones from Joe Pesci whose narration is so smooth and calm compared to his hot-tempered character Nicky Santoro.
A pure, classic mob movie in the best Martin Scorsese style.