Casino
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Movie Reviews of Casino
Movie Review: Classic Vegas film; barebones dvd with excellent transfer
Summary: 5 Stars
4.6 stars
One of Scorsese's best, Casino is a classic due not only to his tight direction and a great script from Pileggi (based on his book), but DeNiro and Pesci at their best, and the only really good performance I've ever seen from Stone.
Based on real-life mobsters Frank Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro, Casino gets a little ways beneath the glittering surface of Vegas to show some of what was going on with the (wise)guys who used to run the show there. DeNiro is pretty much perfect and Pesci likewise, though I'm guessing from the books I've read on Tony the Ant that he was not quite as pleasant as he's depicted here. Sharon Stone is the big surprise, though, as she's as good at being Ginger as she could possibly be. Perhaps the role is just typecasting; in any case, she nails it, and every guy she can on the way. But it's DeNiro who looms over all, not just in the story but in the talent department.
Someone once wrote that Bob isn't a great actor, as he "just plays the same New York ahole in every movie". I don't know about that, but he certainly defines this character with much precision, and makes him rather likeable, no mean feat. While not quite up to the level of Travis Bickle or Jake LaMotta or the early Vito Corleone, this is easily one of DeNiro's best roles and Casino is worth watching just for him. James Woods is a dead-on sleazeball, Frank Vincent plays to a T the exact same role he has in almost everything he's ever done (the strong, silent wiseguy always walking a few steps behind the Boss), and it's funny to see Oscar Goodman doing in a movie what he did for decades the in real life: defending mobsters in Vegas court. Before he became the Mayor of Vegas, that is. I wonder how he got that job...
Add in a funny, sharp script, superb camerawork with all the garish oranges and other hues that were Vegas in the 70s/80s, and good turns by almost every actor in the film, and you've got a near-perfect film. It's perhaps a little long at almost three hours, but drags very little. In some ways you're sad to see Casino end, even after five viewings. The new dvd transfer is pretty much perfect, with all the bright tones intact and nice deep blacks. No special features to speak of, but that's now standard: make the suckers buy the blu-ray, even if the old dvd had plenty of extras!
Casino is based on a true story, but reverts to fiction when discussing how the Mob was run out of Vegas. Yes, they just picked up and left their billion-plus dollar a year cash cow when asked to, and Steve Wynn and other guys who had access to billions to build the new super-casinos moved in. Casino says it was "junk bonds" that financed the New Vegas. Don't tell that to all the reporters and authors who've linked Wynn and other new bosses to various crime families, but then again we're certainly due for a movie about the New Vegas, and who better than Scorsese to front, er, direct it?
What say, Marty? How about a rags to riches tale of little Stevie Wynn, who can snatch a billion dollars out of thin air and build some of the most lavish buildings in the world? It's got "Jackpot!" written all over it.
If you haven't seen Casino, check it out. It's a truly fine film.
Movie Review: "...And the eye in the sky is watching us all."
Summary: 5 Stars
My favorite films range from gangster flicks (The Godfather 1 & 2), comic book adaptations (Batman '89), Sci-fi spectacles (2001: A Space Odyssey, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Thing), realistic thrillers (Collateral, No Country for Old Men), and animated classics (Fantasia, The Lion King). Casino is slowly being put on my list. This is a fantastic 178-minute film by Martin Scorsese, which is sadly underlooked. Maybe it's because it is quite similar to Goodfellas: two of the same cast members, same gangster themes, etc. But anyways, I seem to prefer this to Goodfellas, which is also a great movie. Here, we get to see some equally disturbing images ("In the end, I had to put his ****ing head in a vice") and a more excessive use of the F and S words (the F word being used 398 times in just under three hours).
And not only that, we get to see some of the finest performances by De Niro, Stone, and Pesci. De Niro plays Sam Rothstein, one of the top handicappers in Las Vegas. As the owner of the fictional Tangiers casino who has connections with the Mafia, he looks to be an egotistical perfectionist, who treats his workers as if they're drug addicts. On the soft side, though, he is a caring family man who would do anything to protect his wife and child. De Niro should have at least been nominated for an oscar: here he is at the top of his game. He brings his trademark attitude into the picture, never losing his cool and never surrendering to overacting.
You all know what Joe Pesci is capable of. Starring as Nicky Santoro, he is a hotheaded psychopath who relies on his balls instead of his head. He uses his explosively violent attitude to solve many of his problems, with disturbing and darkly hilarious results. I would NEVER want to confront a person like him. Pesci sure steals the show with his cursing and his aggressive personality, and he's clearly one of the reasons why I like Casino.
I was never a fan of Sharon Stone, but she shines in this movie. She plays Rothstein's beautiful but obnoxious wife who takes her time smoking, drinking, taking pills, and embracing her husband's money. She is a woman that people love to hate, and she would care less what we all think of her.
To be honest, what I like more than the performances is the overall flow of the film. This is half documentary, half mobster flick. Rothstein and Santoro become the narrators, and show us what happens in the Tangiers, and what sort of business they run. The narration may slow the film down a few times, but the information is just what we need in order to understand what type of people are running, and making money off of, the casino.
In short, Casino is an excessively violent film with excessive profanity. Goodfellas may be the more popular film, but personally I have more admiration for Casino. Kudos to Scorsese, De Niro, Stone, Pesci, Rickles, Woods, and Vincent for making such a spectacular film.
Movie Review: You better believe this is one of Scorsese's best.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Casino" is, without doubt one of the best films by Scorsese. The film runs for almost three hours and events take their time to unravel, and rightly so.
The performances: Robert De Niro is one of the finest actors to come out of Hollywood and that's a universal fact! In this movie, he delivers a performance that qualifies as one his best after 'Raging Bull'. He appears super-cool as the Casino operator and you cannot help but sympathize with him in some later parts of the movie when he is having a bad time because of various reasons. Trust him to play an all-in-one character: a mob-connected Casino guy, a friend and a loving father all at the same time! His powerful performance in this movie has to be seen to be believed. It is nothing short of mind-blowing!
Joe Pesci..what can one say about this guy! Delivering sharp dialogs and firing those F-words with a one-of-a-kind punch is something only he can do! He plays a wicked, wicked character who also cares for his boy-hood friend, Sam. Another brilliant performance after GoodFellas, he is the finest choice for his role.
Sharon Stone: Superb!! I never thought I would feel that about her performance, but indeed, she gets a hell of a chance to act here..and she does it exceedingly well! The drunk hustler who cannot find happiness is played to perfection by Sharon...I guess it is also kudos to the director for bringing out the actor in her.
Then there are some wonderful, but small supporting performances by James Woods as Lester Diamond, Frank Vincent as Frank Marino, Alan King as Andy Stone and Kevin Pollak (The Usual Suspects) as Phillip Green. Special mention here, of Pasquale Cajano, who is superb as the mob boss, Remo Gaggi.
The soundtrack is very much like that in GoodFellas. And much in the same manner, there is some playful rock'n'roll music playing in the background during any violent scene of crime!
The dialog is brilliant. Robert Richardson's cinematography is amazing. The wonderful screenplay for the film is co-written by Nicolas Pileggi who is also the author of the book.
As mentioned before, the film runs for about 3 hours but there is not a single moment when you'd want to take your eyes off the screen.
An under-rated classic, this one deserves a rightful place up there along with Scorsese's other acclaimed classics.
Movie Review: Scorsese Scores [ 7 l 7 l 7 ]
Summary: 5 Stars
I probably haven't seen this movie for about, oh, five years. Now after watching it again, I remember why it was so unforgettable. From the actual Casino, to the acting on all parts... this movie is complete.
Success(Taxi Driver) after success(Raging Bull) after success(Goodfellas). In my opinion Scorsese is one of the top three movie directors of all time at showing us, what it's like to be a gangster. Just over this last year, I've watched all of Scorsese's movies more than twelve times each(next on the list, Casino).
Robert De Niro in the late 80's and early 90's for me, was a gangster. I was twelve years old when I first watched this and trust me that's what he was in my eyes. Now I just see him as one of the best actors of his generation. From award wins to being flat out hilarious, I envy the talent he has.
Joe Pesci(My Cousin Vinny) and Sharon Stone(Basic Instinct) melted on and off screen during their careers. I like them both as actors and individuals. Resembling a sorta couple of two-faced/thieves such as Bonnie and Clyde. Contributing everything to the supporting cast. Although, one thing I do think of whenever I do watch this movie; is how that I think this was the last great film in both of their careers. It's a movie to watch for that reason alone.
Imagine watching the Scorsese film "Goodfellas", excluding and including a couple of faces, with new characters and new settings. And that's what you get, better badder gangsters. It's pretty much of what would've happened if "Goodfellas" had a happy ending.
De Niro, Pesci, Stone, Scorsese, Gangsters, and Gambling. If one of these names or words triggers a part of your brain when reading, watch "Casino". It's a classic for all of these reasons.
I don't know if this review will be that helpful, or new in anyway. But it's nice to encourage to have fun. "And that's that"
GoodFellas The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition) My other two most favorite Scorsese films today.
Movie Review: This is what ganster movies should be...A Martin Scorcese Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
That is an undeniable fact. Unless he made some other movie about Las Vegas around the same time that his name wasn't attached to. Like Leaving Las Vegas, or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or Vegas Vacation. Even some dull video for the city to attract tourists would have been an improvement.
Imagine Goodfellas without Ray Liotta and his oddly charming narration. You'll end up with something like this. Basically a remake minus the only interesting character. It'd be like making Pirates with just Orlando Bloom and that anorexic girl and her freakishly long neck. EAT SOMETHING! Wear shoulder pads too. Every time I see the end of that movie where she's standing way up over the rocks it looks like her head is going to fall right off that skinny neck of hers. I just can't watch it. And I can't watch this either, but that's not her fault. It's just two guys doing the same thing they've done a million times before sleepwalking for 3 hours so they can pick up an easy paycheck while that guy with the big eyebrows sits back and tells them to hurry up and get it over with so he can ditch them and start a new life with Leonardo DiCaprio. And who can blame him. Leo is younger and much more handsome.