Casino (Movie Review)

There have been many movies set in Las Vegas, but few captured its real history of vice the way Casino does. Scorsese brings all his energy and pacing to the story, but even more importantly, he opens up a world of fascinating little details that feel exactly right. Like when Ace orders the casino cooks to put “exactly the same amount of blueberries in every muffin,” or when airborne feds get crucial evidence by spying from a golf course where low-level hoods play (and they always use the same ball).

The movie is based on a true story, written by Nicholas Pileggi and adapted by him and Scorsese from his own nonfiction book. It tells how the mob skimmed millions from casinos in a city built on vice. Casino reveals that beneath the flashing lights and free drinks, casinos operate on a bedrock of mathematics engineered to slowly bleed patrons of their money. It’s why they’re famous for not having clocks or windows; they want players to stay longer and spend more.

The film also reveals how predatory the mob could be against each other for no good reason, and it features one of Robert De Niro’s finest performances in his career, along with a great Joe Pesci. He shows a different side than in Goodfellas, but still delivers his signature ruthlessness. Also noteworthy is the fact that this is the first time a female character, played by Sharon Stone, has ever been so central in a Scorsese film.