Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Alan King
Casino resembles Scorsese's Goodfellas in its depictions of the mob and the story of paradise lost. It has a high energy and authenticity which is never less than compelling. It contains many familiar Scorsese themes, but it can stand on its own as a story of people who, in the words of Pesci's Nicky Santoro, "fucked up good." You can think of it as a companion piece to the 1990 mob classic.
Casino is based on a true story from 1970's and 1980's Las Vegas. Sam "Ace" Rothstein (DeNiro) is a smart, observant bookie with a knack for picking gambling winners for the mob. He earns for them big time. According to Pesci, "If he finds out a quarterback has a drug problem, he'll use the information to make money." As a goose who continues to lay golden eggs, he is made the head of the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. As long as the casino makes money and the mob can skim its cut, everyone's happy. Well, sort of. Nicky Santoro (Pesci) is assigned to protect Rothstein in Vegas, but soon starts a crime spree that gets him kicked out of every casino on the strip and brings an unwanted spotlight on Rothstein and the Tangiers.
More trouble arises in the form of call girl Ginger (Stone), with whom Rothstein falls in love He knows she may be trouble, but marries her anyway. ("For a guy who loves sure things, I was betting on a real long shot.") Boy, he had no idea. Ginger is smart, connected, has a big drug problem, and an inseparable bond with her L.A. based pimp Lester (James Woods-at his slimy best). She can pretty much handle any situation, except for Lester, for whom she dips into the Rothstein coffers. "$25,000 is way too much for three suits," Rothstein observes none too subtly when Ginger tells him she took Lester shopping.
DeNiro's Rothstein, unlike his Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas, is not the muscle, but the brains behind the whole operation. He makes lots of money and is tough in his own way, but even his smarts can't control wildcards like Ginger and Nicky. They are simply too much for him, which starts the whole downward spiral rolling. What's so riveting about Casino is how the heat drawn on the threesome becomes so overwhelmingly tense. The feds start snooping around, the state starts questioning, and soon, as is custom, people get whacked. An attempted car bombing on Rothstein begins the film and Rothstein explains what got him to that point.
Like Goodfellas, Casino contains much voice-over narration, mostly by Ace and Nicky, who sound 100% authentic and streetwise while narrating, yet do such dumb things to belie that. You would think they were talking about two other wiseguys who caused trouble in paradise. What causes this downfall? For Ginger, drugs and more drugs, plus an ill-advised affair with Nicky. For Nicky, his temper and desire to make a name for himself doing things that he shouldn't. Ace's problem: His love for Ginger, which is based more on idealization than love. He thinks he can tame her. He is wrong.
Casino juggles a lot, but Scorsese keeps it all coherent and energetic with a forever-moving camera that allows the audience to peek into this exclusive world where glamour is the disguise for what is essentially highway robbery. Ace observes: "People fly in from all over the world and leave behind a billion dollars. With all that money flying around, how could it go wrong? It did.
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