Overlooked, But Equally Impressive Scorsese Masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (30 September 2000)

"Casino" is a dominant film which is based on the true story of how Las Vegas was transformed from a simple gambling mecca into a place that has as much personality and color as Disney World. Robert De Niro stars as a casino owner who is on the ground-level of the city's change. He is a high-class crook who's able to turn profits with the help of the mafia and crooked gaming practices (a norm for all casinos). Joe Pesci is on hand as the mob assassin with the short fuse who is De Niro's right-hand man. However, no one stays on top forever and De Niro's demise is partly due to his ex-prostitute wife (Sharon Stone, in her Oscar-nominated role). Bad decision-making, shady dealings, and questionable alliances will also be key factors in his ultimate downfall. Once again Martin Scorsese has created a film that is so multi-layered and smart that the viewer is completely engrossed for the entire 182 minutes. "Casino" is a crime epic, in close contrast with "The Godfather" series of films. Scorsese accomplishes what he did with "Raging Bull" and "GoodFellas". Once again De Niro and Pesci shine with Scorsese's direction and the unrelenting screenplay. Sharon Stone does the best work of her career. She does not necessarily shine brighter than De Niro and Pesci, but she holds her own and never lets either of them steal her thunder and lightning. Another great thing about "Casino" is the supporting cast. Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, James Woods, and Joe Bob Briggs (!?) all add great elements of both comedy and drama to this outstanding winner which has been overlooked on Scorsese's list of credits, but is just as potent as his other five-star films. 5 stars out of 5.