He researched all his bets carefully, and rarely made a bad pick. Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (Robert De Niro, in his eighth acting collaboration with Scorsese) was a gambler who never lost. 'Back home years ago' (as an on-screen caption reads), they were friends and co-workers. If there's an obvious weakness in Casino, it's that it occasionally seems derivative of Goodfellas.ĭuring its three-hour running time, Casino tells the story of two men's intermingled lives. Scorsese has never pulled punches in breathing life into his ideas, and he doesn't start here. Although not the director's top work, this is nevertheless compelling film making. In every way - from the fantastic sets, rich dialogue, and unapologetic violence to the well-portrayed characters and themes of loyalty and betrayal - Casino is pure Scorsese.

While the intelligence and wit of the voiceovers makes them palatable, such nonstop talking isn't always the best way to convey a story - the temptation to tell something, rather than show it, is too great.

The sheer volume of words sporadically detracts from character development, but it is integrated successfully enough not to seem overly intrusive. Director Martin Scorsese makes heavy use of voiceovers, employing disembodied monologues by both lead actors - Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci - to fill in gaps. Instead, it's all about greed and money - bringing customers in, keeping them playing, and sucking them dry.Ĭasino opens with short sequence in 1983 before moving on to the meat of the story, which is related through flashbacks. As is stated several times, Vegas isn't about fun, glitz, or glamour. While this film, adapted from Nicholas Pileggi's nonfiction book, Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, doesn't offer much in the way of startling revelations, it presents a fascinating insider's perspective of what goes on behind-the-scenes in the country's gambling mecca.

After viewing Casino, you may never look at Las Vegas in quite the same way.

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