Following the success of Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese turned his attention to the other side of organized crime, crafting Casino, a story about a Vegas mogul and a Mafia enforcer who battle for control of a gambling empire. The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising the ensemble cast and thematic depth but decrying the pacing and length of the movie.
Casino is a brutal story of corruption and betrayal with no one-dimensional good guys. Even as the ruthless mobster Sam Rothstein and the brash henchman Ace are getting their comeuppance, we’re left with the sense that these characters are not evil; they just made bad decisions based on lust and greed. This bleak portrayal of human tragedy is heightened by excellent performances from the cast, particularly Robert De Niro as a sleazy casino executive and Joe Pesci as his violent henchman.
Scorsese uses the opening scenes to establish his style, blending fast cuts and stylized documentary footage to create a tone that’s as entertaining as it is informative. As the movie progresses, the narration slowly fades into the background as the camera focuses on the action.
Casino is Scorsese’s most violent movie, with the most disturbing scenes including a torture-by-vice sequence and a sound-designed baseball bat beating. But the violence is not simply gratuitous or stylistic; it’s a faithful depiction of how these real-life mobster characters lived their lives. Even as the movie celebrates the glory days of Vegas gangsters like Ace and Ginger, it laments how today Vegas operates “like Disneyland.”