Casino is perhaps the first gangster movie to use the mob as a backdrop instead of a subject. It's basically a three character drama about people who happen to have mob ties. Unlike another Scorsese film, GoodFellas, the protagonist sees being a gangster as a job instead of a lifestyle.
The protagonist is a Jewish gangster named Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), who is given the job of running a Las Vegas casino resort for a close friend who just happens to be a mafia don. Sam does his job well, mostly because he is an expert at gambling. He only hurts people who cheat him. Although not a fine upstanding citizen, by mob standards he's a saint.
And this finally etched character is why the movie is so compelling. Sam is unlike any wiseguy we've ever seen in the movies. He does what needs to get done, but never seems drunk with power. He likes gambling more than violence. He is apprehensive when his hit man friend from out east, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) moves to Vegas in search of more money. At the same time, he falls madly in love with a troubled hustler named Ginger (Sharon Stone). Ginger is a bad choice, she drinks too much and does drugs, but, well, love is love.
As we watch the drama between these three characters play out, we get the feeling that this is how real people act. Instead of the detached tone we often get in other gangster films, we get involved in Sam's life and root for him. We know as Sam does that Nicky's arrival in Vegas will mean nothing but trouble, and as we watch his marriage to Ginger disintegrate, we feel for him and not the woman, which almost always happens in mob movies,
Much of the film, which is based on a non-fiction book by Nicholas Pileggi (who co-wrote script with Scorsese) and Larry Shandling, also describes the basic, day-to-day procedures of running a casino in fascinating detail. Scorsese uses a great deal of virtuoso cinematic techniques to keep this story interesting for its entire two hour and fifty eight minuet running time. I particularly liked the technique of having the film narrated omnisciently by both Sam and Nicky, which reminded of Sunset Boulevard. I was amazed at how many sets and locations appear in the film. This was probably Scorsese's most expensive movie with the possible exception of The Aviator, and the money was well spent.
I actually think that this is probably Scorsese's best film. It lacks many of the director's usual flaws- the overly serious, tortured tone, the tendency to go over the top. This is also the director's longest fiction film, but unlike some of his other films, is judiciously edited, and not one minuet to long. If I had to name a flaw, it's that the ending is actually a little abrupt and abbreviated, but that's a minor flaw, in a rich film that will stand up to multiple viewings.
Casino (1995)