Goodfellas in Las Vegas

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2005)

When a director makes a fantastic movie, sometimes there will be a follow up movie that has a similar idea and story. This isn't a sequel, but it is pretty much the same movie with a different location and list of characters. This can be done by the same director or a different one. In this case, Martin Scorsese made Goodfellas in 1990, creating one of the greatest movies of all time. In 1995, he came back with another movie of the same caliber as Goodfellas.
Casino is the story of the rise and fall of a casino in Las Vegas called the Tangiers during the 1970's and 80's. Casino operator Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and his friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) try to make this casino the best there is while making a huge amount of money for themselves, their wives, and for the "bosses" back home. They use some interesting methods of persuasion for cheaters in the casino so they never come back, and of course there are payoffs to police, security, politicians, and anyone else who needs to be "taken care of". With so much corruption in this town, they fit right in.
Sam's wife Ginger (Sharon Stone) is the woman of his dreams, or at least that's what he thinks. Together, the two of them go on a roller coaster ride through everything. Just when things are looking great, the whole operation falls apart. The Tangiers is running smoothly, no one is ratted out, and they are becoming kings of the Las Vegas strip. Little by little things crumble down into oblivion. Snitches, FBI agents, and all sorts of trouble rain down on this paradise in the desert.
Scorsese does a nice job of illustrating the rise and fall of this casino. It is very reminiscent of Goodfellas, the story being the rise and fall of the crime family. Casino the same idea with a different story. The good thing is that there isn't a problem with that because the movie itself makes up for it. Scorsese brings back De Niro and Pesci from previous movies like Raging Bull and Goodfellas to make this movie worth watching. The addition of Sharon Stone, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance as Ginger, gives the movie more of a reason to watch.
The only problem with this movie is that is really long, running just short of three hours. Some parts seem to drag on, but with the changing storyline, it's always something new. Scorsese does what he does best and that is tell a great story. His use of narration throughout the whole movie by De Niro and Pesci is very well done. The transition from the 70's to the 80's is noticeable in the equipment used in the casino, the clothing, the music, and the lifestyles they pursue. Whether it's watching the casino floor or taking some guys out back to "talk" with, there is a lot to watch and be entertained by. The hard work put into running a casino and all of the in's and out's are exposed. It's a hard life out there, but when a problem arises, all they have to to is dig a hole in the desert and let the pistol do the talking. Casino is a great story that is definitely worth a viewing at least once. As the saying goes, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...". Thankfully this movie got out for us to see.