A sombre Goodfellas

Rating: 9/10 (8 August 2003)

Cruelly referred to as Goodfellas: Redux by some, Casino deserves (nay, demands) to be see in it's own right. It isn't as good as Goodfellas, however, mainly because it tries to outdo that wonderful movie with extra lashings of gore (some of the violence is unwatchable), foul language, sex and music, to no avail. It's also inhibited by a narrower scope, taking in only the 70s and the early 80s and by the end, the script dithers as much as Sharon Stone's druggy showgirl. However, Scorsese pulls several impressive tricks, De Niro is effective as a outwardly dull but inwardly seething Jewish gangster, and the dialogue is occasionally inspired. If you can stomach the length of it, this is high quality Scorsese, but only just.