Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci Test Their Luck in Casino

Rating: 9/10 (16 February 2015)

I'm usually not a fan of the way narrative films are. So this movie was a pleasant surprise. This is a true story (with names and places changed) depicting the life of Sam "Ace" Rothstein and his friend Nicky. Sam is a great gambler, and works his way through the years, eventually landing a job running a casino in Las Vegas. He watches for cheaters and uses his friend Nicky (a man in the Mafia) to get rid of problems using violence. The Mafia protects Sam in return for scamming money from the casino. When Nicky starts to get careless with his tactics (even getting kicked out of Vegas' casinos and put on the infamous blacklist) and Sam's wife gets hooked on drugs and is cheating, things start falling apart. The FBI comes after the Mafia hard, and the Mafia in return starts to come down on everyone. As the story goes on things fall apart more and more. Sam and Nicky stop being so close, and violence gets worse and worse. This was a well put together movie. Excellent acting, great directing, and an amazing story come together perfectly.
Soundtrack: 8- Most of the time the music works for the movie, but there were a few moments where the music didn't fit in the film.
Script: 10- The writer knew how to write mobsters well. The writing was smart, and believable. I really liked this element.
Originality: 10- Yes, this is a gangster film. But when you watch this, you never know what to expect. This isn't your average gangster flick. There were all kinds of new elements, and it was well done.
Cinematography: 7- Martin Scorsese has a very specific style to his cinematography. It isn't necessarily bad, but there are some moments that disconnect me from the story.
Casting: 10- Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro playing in a movie about the Mafia. Need I say more? Acting: 10- The actors put so much emotion and perfection in this film. I was never bored, and I was so engrossed in the film so deeply that I constantly forgot I was even watching. It was so real, and these actors should all be congratulated for their work.
Overall: 9.2