Casino

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. «I think in all fairness, I should explain to you exactly what it is that I do. For instance tomorrow morning ill get up nice and early, take a walk down over to the bank and... walk in and see and uh... if you don't have my money for me, I'll... crack your f*ckin' head wide-open in front of everybody in the bank. And just about the time that I'm comin' out of jail, hopefully, you'll be coming out of your coma. And guess what? I'll split your f*ckin' head open again. 'Cause I'm f*ckin' stupid. I don't give a f*ck about jail. That's my business. That's what I do.» First things first. Casino is no Goodfellas. But what movie is anyway? Its hard to top that kind of masterpiece. Still, Casino is a solid mob movie but its qualities might be diminished when compared to Martin Scorsese's ealier classic. Many people like to call it Goodfellas 2 or simply a lesser version of it, when all it actually is, is a logical follow-up to the other film. It uses the same style and is set in a similar time period, its Scorsese's fascination for the mobster's lives that is show, plain and simple. In the early 70's, Sam 'Ace' Rothstein in the movie, Frank Rosenthal in real life, moves to Las Vegas, sent by the bosses to run a casino and make sure to bring a lot of cash home. No too long after, Nicky Santoro in the movie, Anthony Spilotro in real life, comes and join him, a friend from childhood, but a ruthless killer with no self-control. While Ace struggle with his whore wife who never actually loved him, and tries to get an official director liscence, Nicky becomes responsible for the rise of street organized crime in Vegas and one life affect the others, not always in a good way. Casino is obviously based on a true story, which makes it even more compelling when the main characters's are in deep sh*t. Its fascinating to see the behind-the-scene of the money business and how the mob virtually controlled the entire city of Las Vegas for at least a 10-year spawn. Martin Scorsese crafted his film perfectly, its spectacular and masterfully done. For the near 3-hour run, there is non-stop narration from the two main characters, giving us insights on how everything worked, its almost documentary like, but very stylish at the same time and wonderfully edited by Thelma Schoonmaker. The acting is great, Joe Pesci seems to be playing the same character he played in Goodfellas, a crazy motherf*cker, but also a very entertaining gangster. DeNiro is little more laid back playing a guy who wants to do things the right way, without really getting his hands dirty, not so much of a gangster, but a man stuck in the mob lifestyle nonetheless. Sharon Stone is amazing, proving she is more than a bisexual ice pick killer, and she can do more than show off her body. There is some good supporting work by James Wood and Don Rickles among other, and for those who know who Frank Vincent is, an actor appearing in previous Scorsese movies, well, lets just say his revenge is sweet, if you know what I mean. With its unexpected soundtrack, its details and some amazing lighting and cinematography by Robert Richardon, Casino is one hell of a good mob picture, maybe not the best of that genre, but a solid one, plus its got Martin Scorsese's signature, it cant go wrong.