“Casino” is one of Martin Scorsese’s best films, but to most film viewers it will always be overshadowed by “Raging Bull,” “Taxi Driver” and his mob masterpieces “Goodfellas” and “The Departed.” Although the four films I just mentioned are his
“Casino” is one of Martin Scorsese’s best films, but to most film viewers it will always be overshadowed by “Raging Bull,” “Taxi Driver” and his mob masterpieces “Goodfellas” and “The Departed.” Although the four films I just mentioned are his top films, this one is what I consider his 5th gem.
A true epic, it’s a different kind of mob film; it’s about the Las Vegas mob and how the city became the center of money and power. This is not about bad-guy Italians or crooked police; it’s a hard-hitting look at what created the city we all love or hate. I’ve been to 27 states across the country and Las Vegas is the only place I’d say you’re not missing a thing.
This movie is based on a novel and is also a true story. For obvious reasons, the names were changed for the movie and some plot points are created for the same reasons (to not bring un-wanted attention from mobsters). Technically, “Casino” brought a new standard to cinema, with cutting-edge editing and cinematography that should have been given a special Oscar just for creating camera moves. This film grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go, with a running time of 2 hours, 45 minutes (don’t let that deter you) you walk away changed. It’s not the violence or the rough edge of the film, it’s the underlying story of greed.
This film perfectly lays out the pitfalls of greed: that it leads to power and ultimately to loss and that you don’t only lose your soul, you may lose your life. There is no turning back once you cross the line, that’s what every character does in their own way. I don’t want to spend time on De Niro and Pesci, because they’re De Niro and Pesci. Saying they’re good; let alone good together goes without saying. This was their 3rd film with Scorsese.
The film embarked into new cinematic territory through its use of music in half the movie. It’s not a score; the movie has its own soundtrack. If you listen carefully, you will hear music spread all around the film, in a way that, like the cinematography, was ground-breaking. There aren’t many movies that have ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and even ‘80s rock and roll. This movie is film journey with plenty of candy for the eyes and ears; you get classic Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck and Muddy Waters, to name a few.
I saw this movie when I was 15, maybe 16. I had no concept of what I was seeing. I just remember one brutal scene. It was a scene that altered my sense of what cinema was. I’d never seen anything like it. I thought maybe film could be used to alter people in a good way.
Of course, my brain was young and naiv,e and as I viewed the film two nights ago for the 75th time, I really saw what was at work. We all have demons, and Vegas in this movie and in life brings them out.
It is a city that now has a Disneyland quality, but lurking around the corner is the greed and lies waiting to happen. It’s not a negative message film; if anything it’s a film we can use to put our own demons in place; to go for honesty and love over the dollar. Like Joe Pesci says in the movie “always the…dollar.”
Year: 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone
Oscars: Nomination (Best Actress Sharon Stone)
1) Targets
2) Apollo 13
3) The Aviator
4) The Pawnbroker
5) The Apartment
6) Marathon Man
7) Man on the Moon
8) The Ox-bow Incident
9) Dreams
10) The Searchers
