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Casino (1995)
Runtime: 2 hrs 59 mins
Synopsis: Martin Scorsese, one of America's most influential filmmakers, returns to the world of mobsters, greed, and excess that he explored so compellingly in 1990's GOODFELLAS. Set in the 1970s and reveling in the minute details of how Las Vegas casinos operate, the film chronicles the rise and... Martin Scorsese, one of America's most influential filmmakers, returns to the world of mobsters, greed, and excess that he explored so compellingly in 1990's GOODFELLAS. Set in the 1970s and reveling in the minute details of how Las Vegas casinos operate, the film chronicles the rise and fall of casino manager Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro). As the king of his domain, Ace efficiently runs the business and regularly sends lots of cold cash to his bosses. Helping him keep the casino's employees and customers honest is his best friend, Nicky (Joe Pesci), a violent sociopath. Although Ace aims to run a relatively respectable casino, the volatile Nicky wants to take over the entire gambling mecca, and when Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a seasoned Vegas hustler, enters the picture, Ace and Nicky's friendship is complicated even further. As drugs and alcohol become a bigger part of Ginger's life, all three are eventually brought down by their own greed and blind ambition. CASINO shares many similarities with GOODFELLAS, beginning with a script that was cowritten by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi. Regulars De Niro and Pesci are first rate once again as the dissimilar companions, but it is Stone who steals the show with her grueling, intense performance. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Don Rickles
DVD Info
Release:
Dec 19, 2006
HD-DVD Features:
- Elite Red HD Case
- Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1 - English, French, Spanish
- Subtitles - English SDH, French, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Featurettes - 1. "CASINO: The Story"
- 2. "CASINO: The Cast and Characters"
- 3. "CASINO: The Look"
- 4. "CASINO: After the Filming"
- 5. Deleted Scenes
- 6. "Moments with Martin Scorsese, Sharon Stone, Nicholas Pileggi, and More"
Reviews
People talk and talk about how Vegas works, and Scorsese's camera sprints to keep up. He's like an energetic tour guide making sure we understand everything.
Production values are brilliant, and as the drug-addict-hooker Sharon Stone gives her best performance, but thematically, Scorsese rehashes grounds that he had explored deeper in previous films (GoodFellas) and his approach here is too cold and remote.
Scorsese may be flailing here, but Scorsese flailing is more formidable than most directors at the top of their form.
Casino reminds you in too many ways of the brilliance of GoodFellas, and in a way that dooms Casino to remain in its shadow.
Martin Scorsese's Casino is an absolutely brilliant film that's an enthralling equal to his masterful GoodFellas. Demands to be seen at least twice.
Scorsese and Pileggi might be traveling over similar ground here, but they do it so well and so entertainingly, I doubt that any of their fans will really mind.
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