Casino

Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie ever. Better than "Goodfellas"
Review: Many people consider this movie a remake of "Goodfellas." I consider it "Goodfellas" times ten. They are both great movies, but there is as much difference between them as there are similarities. Both have the same director and screenwriter, and some of the same stars. Both are gangster movies that use a documentary-style narrative. Both are gritty, brutal, and perversely funny. But the similaries end there.

To start with, "Casino" is even more mean-spirited and certainly much darker than "Goodfellas." I also found the characters more compelling. Instead of a crew of run-of-the-mill mobsters, these are some facsinating men who unwittingly made history. Robert DeNiro plays Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a fact-based character who appears to be surnamed after a much earlier gambler. Like both his real life inspiration and his turn-of-the-century namesake, Rothstein is a smart, cold, and level-headed gambler who never bets on a long shot. His best friend Nicky Santoro, played by Joe Pesci in his best role ever, is a volatile, greedy psychopath who commands fear throughout the underworld. When the mob gives Ace control of a major casino, Nicky is sent to protect him. It starts out smoothly, but Nicky's unflattering antics make the operation very risky. That, and Ace betrays his own principles when he makes the mistake of falling in love with a women of ill reputation named Ginger (Sharon Stone).

The movie is quite fun in a decadent, nihilistic sort of way, but it's also very disturbing. Ginger's selfish and irresponsible actions are hard to watch, as is the deterrioration of the relationship between Ace and Nicky. And if you thought "Goodfellas," was too violent, then I would not recommend this movie. It is twice as brutal, with a good number of revolting torture scenes scattered throughout the film. I mean, you'll be relieved when somewhat just gets shot! There is also a lot anti-social humor injected into "Casino." I often found myself grinning the first time I watched it, and even the next few times. Hell, sometimes I still do. Joe Pesci is so wickedly entertaining because he's amusing and repulsive at the same time. The only, and I mean only flaw I found was when Ace's narration mentions a cop shooting a member of Nicky's crew because he mistook the guy's fish sandwich for a gun. Considering the fact that we actually SEE that scene played out a moment later, you didn't really need to tell me that. Other than that one instance, the narration by DeNiro and Pesci is entertaining and flows very well with the movie (I liked it much better than Ray Liotta's voiceovers in "Goodfellas").

But what really makes this film special is that it portrays "the truth about Las Vegas." As you watch it, you are not just watching a gangster movie, you're watching Nicky and Ace are letting you in on a dirty little secret. We always hear people say "back when Vegas was Vegas," but "Casino" reveals the reason why Vegas aint Vegas no more. This is the story of the mob's peak in Sin City, and how they finally lost control of it. "I guess Vegas got to all of us," reflects Ace at one point. Or, in Nicky's words, "In the end, we f***ed it all up." If you're a fan of gangster movies, if you love Las Vegas, or just like great films, "Casino" belongs in your collection. But be warned that like Scorsese's other classics, it is not for the faint of heart.

Rating:
Summary: Casino is a must see movie.
Review: Casino is a 172 minute 1995 Universal Studios release directed by Martin Scorsese. The cast is possibly the best cast assembled for a gangster movie. Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone are the featured stars, and do a brilliant job of portraying the mob lifestyle. The supporting cast features James Woods, Don Rickles, and Alan King, all of which deliver outstanding performances.

Casino is based on a true story dating from 1972 to 1983 on the life of Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert DeNiro), a professional gambler who has ties to the mob. He is enlisted to run a casino in Vegas for his gangster friends, who then take a cut of the profits. His friend Nicky (Joe Pesci), is in charge of looking out for Sam, and does the job with zeal. Sam meets Ginger (Sharon Stone), and falls in love. It is a storybook beginning, but then things begin to fall apart.

As with most gangster movies, things begin to go sour. Casino is a display of what unlimited money and power can do to those who are not careful. Ginger becomes a drug addict, and strays occasionally to an old flame, Lester Diamond (James Woods) for drug binges, spending tens of thousands of dollars. Nicky becomes to mob boss of Las Vegas, not asking permission from his bosses for what he does. He has the FBI trying to arrest him, and is banned from all the casinos in town. He also becomes involved in drugs and with Ginger, which can get them killed by the mob bosses. Sam is denied a gaming license, and begins to draw too much attention to himself and the mob by going on television to plead his case. He also has the added distraction of trying to deal with Ginger and Nicky, both of whom are causing him problems due to their activities.

Eventually all the activities in Vegas get the mob bosses in trouble and they kill almost everyone connected to them and the casino, except for Sam and Ginger who kills herself with an overdose of drugs. Sam goes back to gambling for the bosses and his dream life as a casino boss is over.

I would give this movie five stars. DeNiro, Pesci, and Stone are perfect for their roles, and the acting is flawless. The story line is original and compelling. The viewer gets to know the characters well, and can sympathize with them. I feel this is a movie not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Good Film Overall, but has its Weak Points
Review: Casino is a stylish and entertaining story of a casino boss with mafia connections. Perhaps most impressive is the cinematography, particularly the opening sequence which backgrounds the Vegas atmosphere and mob involvement in operating the casino. DeNiro is perfect as the casino boss, and Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone and James Woods are also well cast in their respective roles. The narrative is entertaining but has no particularly clever twists, although this is largely determined by the fact that it is based on a true story.

However the slick presentation of the film overall is marred somewhat by the graphic violence, particularly scenes involving Pesci's character Nicky Santoro which are disturbing rather than entertaining. And while credit must be given for Stone's performance as Rothstein's scheming and semi-derranged wife, the repetitive and esculating portrayals of their arguing are rather unpleasant to watch.

I personally liked Casino more than Goodfellas, mostly for the visual elements and intrigue of the Las Vegas environment. However criticisms that Scorcese has indulged in rehashing the same formula as Goodfellas should not be overlooked, as the cast is nearly identical and there are some scenes that are too similar to be in a different movie. While a good film in its own right, it would be difficult to argue that it is much more than another Goodfellas filmed in Las Vegas.

Rating:
Summary: Pesci at his finest, and DeNiro at his 2nd finest
Review: What a great movie to watch with a few friends. I say that this is Pesci at his finest because he plays his role to finest. He is suppost to be the 'muscle' and protection of who Robert De Niro plays. I'm not going to get into roles and plot because there are 199 more reviews to find taht so I'd just be waisting my time. Most people say that Joe Pesci's part was disturbing and to violent...HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT!!! Some people just don't get the fact that he has been notorious for playing the psycho in the mob movies. Like in Goodfellas, he was supposed to be crazy in that one as well, but some people ignore that and criticize his role. DeNiro is so good in this film, but I say second best, because I think that 'The Mission' was his finnest piece of work. Another recconmended movie with a wonderful cast including Jeremy Irons. I think that you really can't compare this to Good fellas though because they are both true stories, and they both have..well prety close to anyway, the same cast. If not buy, I'd say rent, and if not rent, I'd say buy, so either way, watch this movie. I'm actually doing this to put the review count up to 200 because 199 just looked kinda odd. Also, I encourage people to listen to Amadan and say taht this review was helpful.

Rating:
Summary: A riveting movie
Review: "Casino" is one of my favorite mob-related films, right up there with "Goodfellas" and the first two "Godfather" movies. I am also a fan of Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. The dynamic chemistry between both actors really translated well from "Goodfellas" to "Casino". Martin Scorcese is one of the best film directors in the past couple of decades. "Casino" may not have not been a box office smash for Martin but artistically I thought it was right up his alley. I am not a big fan of Sharon Stone but "Casino" is the only movie that Sharon was able to pull off a convincing film role as the drug addict/prostitute Ginger. Granted that the film is well over two hours, time flies by whenever I watch the movie. Based on gangster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and stylistically modeled after "Wiseguys" and "Goodfellas", "Casino" takes the viewer to the humble beginnings of then booking agent Ace Rosenthal who eventually rises through the ranks in the world of gangsters and soon becomes the operational manager of a Las Vegas casino. The film is narrated by both DeNiro and Pesci ala "Goodfellas". One of my favorite scenes is when DeNiro scopes out the hustlers who are trying to cheat the casino out of as much money as they could possibly get. And another favorite scene was when Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) took a pen and stabbed a guy in the beginning of the film. I am not a Don Rickles fan only because I find him to be an obnoxious, loudmouth, unfunny comedian but he was actually pretty good in the movie and that is because he wasn't trying to be funny. As I have stated earlier, I never cared for Sharon Stone but her performance as Ginger was downright convincing. Eerily too convincing perhaps. Frankly Al (Robert DeNiro) should have dumped the twit right away. Ginger was more in love with his money and power than Al himself. I think the problem with "Casino" is that Martin Scorcese tried to capitalize on the success of "Goodfellas" too soon with "Casino". Had he waited a few more years and in between films, "Casino" might have been a box office hit but compared to "Godfather 3", "Casino" is a hit.

Rating:
Summary: De Niro and Pesci Revisited - A Match Made in Heaven
Review: Casino was a victim of bad timing. Released within the same five year span as Scorcese's absolute masterpiece Goodfellas, the comparisons were inevitable. Is Casino as good as Goodfellas? Flat out...No. But not many films are. Casino deserved the chance to stand on it's own merits but with De Niro and Pesci seemingly reprising their Goodfellas roles it's difficult for that to happen. Nonetheless, Bobbie D does a bang-up job as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a professional gambler who is hand-picked to run the Tangiers Casino for a consortium of Mafia bosses from around the country. Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, the Mob's enforcer who comes to Las Vegas for one reason...to take over. As usual the performances are stunning, De Niro and Pesci work together as well as any screen tandem I've ever seen. Sharon Stone does a great job as Ace's two-timing, drug addicted, gold-digging wife. I've always despised her as a person but I have to give credit where credit is due. The more I've watched this film the more hysterical the mob bosses are to me, if this is the way the mob is really run then their in big time trouble. Anyway, as always things start of great but turn out real bad in the end for some people in Casino. It's a long film but worth the ride and a fine addition to any DVD collection. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Scorcese and De Niro together again!
Review: Casino is nothing less than a Scorcese masterpiece, based primarily on the true story of the violent life and death of Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, who was the mob's chief enforcer during the early 70's, while protecting the mob's gambling interests run by Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. As someone interested in the development of the American mafia, Casino is a brilliant translation of the building of Bugsy Siegel's vision in the desert up to the gaudy haven for high rollers that it was during the 70s. This movie brings the dusty pages of Las Vegas history to life. Spilotro was the real thing; Joe Pesci gives us only a taste of how brutal he really was. His death in a mid-west cornfield was the final act of this particular chapter in Las Vegas history. This is perhaps Scorsese's most underrated film, Casino contains one of De Niro's finest performances--his Sam Rothstein is controlled, nuanced, quiet, contemplative, depressed, ambitious, and furious. De Niro plays all these sentiments at once, and he ultimately creates a character that may not be Scorsese's most likable but is certainly his most mesmerizingly believable. The film's rare dual voiceover is so well executed, as Pesci and De Niro's characters fight for control over the storytelling just as they battle for power over Vegas. This film is flamboyantly stylized-In many ways it is about style. There are as many flashy whip-turns and ironic soundtrack selections as there are peach blazers and white pantent leather loafers. If you want a film that is at once great entertainment and moving art, watch Casino, and let Scorsese transport you back to a rare moment in American history: "The last time tough guys like us we're ever given anything that 'effing' valuable."

Rating:
Summary: A great movie, but not a lot of special features on the DVD.
Review: I love Casino. The fact that it's based on a true story is probably what makes the plot so interesting. The movie also gives you a sort of "behind the scenes" look at how Vegas works: the flow of money to the count room, the surveillance security, etc. To top it all off, the cast in this movie is rock solid. Sharon Stone does an absolutely amazing job playing the greedy junky. Robert De Niro is awesome as the ruthless yet nerdy Ace Rothstein (how about those clothes?!?). And Joe Pesci does an excellent job playing the violent out-of-control mobster (similar to his role in GoodFellas).
My only complaint about the DVD is the lack of special features. There's some text about the actors that you can read, but not much else. I remember at about the time that Casino was originally released in theaters there was a story about Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal (the real-life basis for DeNiro's "Ace Rothstein" character) that aired on DateLine or PrimeTime or one of those news magazine shows. It was fascinating seeing the true life character that the movie was based on, but for some reason that footage was not included on this DVD. Why not?

Rating:
Summary: A Mildly Successful Reteaming of Scorsese and DeNiro!
Review: Filled with all of Scorsese's trademarks and marks the 8th pairing of Scorsese and DeNiro. The most prolific actor-director team since John Ford and John Wayne. But unfortunately 'Casino' is one of their lesser efforts. Among it's shortcoming is it's epic length, it's just a little too ambitious. Scorsese tries to cover a lot of ground with little plot structure and flimsy supporting characters. The first third of the film plays life a fascinating inside documentary on the Las Vegas moneymaking machine. It starts out well enough, fast paced and with long camera sequences that reminded me of 'Goodfellas'. That is one of the film's other big problems, almost all of the characters seem recycled from 'Goodfellas' at least Pesci and DeNiro are the same. Their verbal riffs are equally intense and memorable but unfortunately we've seen this done more than once in better films, AKA 'Raging Bull' and 'Goodfellas'. Sharon Stone on the other hand delivers a mesmerizing performance as a beautiful call girl that catches DeNiro's eye and then marries him. This is when the film bogs down a bit, all that subplot about Stone's addiction and her relationship with a manipulative pimp is really bothersome. James Woods creates a very unsympathetic character, one of the most unlikable characters ever to grace the screen, and that's not a good thing. He's a weasely, sleazy and manipulative pimp who has some kind of hold over Stone's character that is never really explained. But still, Sharon Stone's performance was astonishing and got her a much-deserved Oscar Nomination, her first and only nomination. Pesci basically repeats the performance that won him and Oscar in 1990 with 'Goodfellas', he's the same hot-headed trigger-happy menace. DeNiro does his best but unfortunately his character has little to work with. Also appearing in supporting roles are Don Rickles (!) and Kevin Pollack. Filled with all of Scorsese's trademarks; an excellent 60's soundtrack, excellent use of slow-motion and voice-over, instantaneous mad bursts of violence and impressive use of cinematography and editing. Some violent scenes are a bit too graphic and definitely not for the squeamish. For example, the scenes where Pesci is torturing an Irish thug and almost squishes his head, and the unforgettably gruesome death of Pesci and his brother when they are both almost beaten to death with bats and then buried alive. Not a bad movie, in fact it remains a very good one, but one can't help but expect more from Scorsese who has proven himself to be one of the best and most original filmmakers in the last quarter of a century. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Movie
Review: This one doesn't measure up in any meaningful sense to "Goodfellas" (one of the greatest films of all-time).
However I just wanted to voice my sentiments regarding one particular scene that gives me a vicarious thrill: The scene where Pesci's character Nick Santoro (based on the true life mob enforcer Tony Spilotro) confronts the banker is fantastic!
"...I don't think you realize what it is that I do for a living. If I go down to that bank tomorrow and you don't have my money I'll bust your fvckin' head open. And just about the time you're getting out of your coma I'll be getting out of jail and I'll bust your fvckin' head open again. See, that's the business I'm in..."

I think just about every poor, working class or middle class person has had the urge to sound off to a bank official in that fashion on at least one occasion in their life!