Low Life High Life

I worked for a Mississippi casino at the time this film hit the big screen. Obviously, there are tremendous differences between Las Vegas casinos of the 1970s and Biloxi casinos of the 1990s--but even so I was stunned by the accuracy with which Scorsese's CASINO nailed the industry and the personalities that inhabit it. From the slick hair and pin stripe suits to the endless profanity to the count room to the survelliance room, CASINO is uncomfortably close to the truth.

Based on the life of 'Lefty' Rosenthal, CASINO offers the story of Las Vegas' last gasp of mob domination before the big corporations began to move in. Robert De Niro is "Ace" Rothstein, a mob-connected gambler who rises to control of one the biggest mob-owned casinos in town--and then sees his control slips away through his misplaced love for beautiful and brazen Vegas hustler Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone) and his association with gangster Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci.) And when their various activities begin to draw heat on the mob bosses, can murder be far behind?

The cast is really top notch. De Niro and Pesci offer memorable performances, as does a superior supporting cast that includes James Woods, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, and Melissa Prophet, to name but a few--but the real laurels go to Sharon Stone, who plays out the rise and fall of the glamorous Ginger with surprising skill. But even so, and in spite of its memorable cast, dialogue, plot, and production values, CASINO has a slightly awkward feel to it. Part of the problem is the film's inconsistent reliance on voice-over narration that shifts uneasily between De Niro and Pesci; part of the problem is the film's uneasy shifting between love story and gangster movie. And in the final analysis the film seems overlong.

For all its flaws, CASINO is an extremely watchable, very memorable movie that stands up very well on its own in spite of inevitable comparisons to GOODFELLAS. In passing, I note the DVD package has few extras, and most viewers will be as happy with the VHS version as with the DVD. But be it DVD or VHS, the film is strongly recommended.

One of the best films of the 1990s!

Casino is dubbed a wonderful movie because of its wonderful direction, cinematography, and most importantly, wonderful acting. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, two familiar players in Scorsese's films, deliver unsurprisingly powerhouse performances. However, one should never ignore Sharon Stone's presence as De Niro's call girl wife, Ginger. She gives the performance of her career, in my opinion.They're all electrifying!
I loved the fluid camera movements as it helped capture the mood and 'kick back city' feel of Las Vegas. The soundtrack is awesome as it ranges from classical, to classical rock, soul, and even Italian.I've always loved the way Scorsese intricately weaves music of a certain period all throughout the film. It's fantastic. I recommend buying the soundtrack,too.
So..to make a long story short. This movie, like all other Scorsese movies, have the ingredients that make up a movie worth watching over and over again. Even if you've never seen a Scorsese movie, I encourage those who are curious to give in to curiousity.

Crippled American Version

This is a great movie that deserves a better dvd treatment. The layout and features are extremely vanilla. Not since Dracula have I see such a vhs content type dvd. Maybe in the future it will get a proper treatment in a boxset but in its current condition this release shouldn't be purchased to accompany any collection.

Also its important to note that this is not the uncut version. So far the only uncut version of this classic to make it to dvd is the Australian release.