An Underrated Classic

Rating: 9/10 (12 November 2008)

I haven't seen too many Scorsese films. I've seen The Departed, The Aviator, and 'most' of GoodFellas. I just watched Casino last night and I think I can say it is one of the best, most involving and well-directed films I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of movies. The acting is great, De Niro and Pesci giving wonderful performances of 'Ace' and Nicky, respectively. I haven't seen Sharon Stone in any film before, but she also gave a great performance as Ace's wife Ginger.
In a way, Casino is a companion piece to GoodFellas. However, it needs to be judged as a film in it's own right. GoodFellas is a great movie, one that almost anyone can enjoy. But Casino, to me, is more in depth and gives a much more detailed look into the 'big' mobs, the ones that ran Vegas.
The photography is great, especially the camera movement. The voice-over narration may be more than you heard in GoodFellas, but in a way it's necessary to get into the minds of Nicky and Ace. It's like a documentary and these guys are just giving us the facts. Not using a traditional film score also helps to make it feel more 'natural', the pop music selected to give exactly the right mood to its respective seen. Particularly the 'House of the Rising Sun' played towards the end over a sort of 'epilogue'. It not only fit's the scene, but the film as a whole.
I think it's hard to actually say or write what this film is about, like any great film. All you can do is watch it and find out for yourself.