Casino is about Sam \u201cAce\u201d Rothstein (De Niro), a Jewish American gambling expert hired by the Chicago Outfit to run the day-to-day operations of the Tangiers in Las Vegas. Along with mob associates such as Nicky Santoro and Ginger McKenna, he must deal with the infiltration of huge gambling corporations into a desert city that once minted billions for the mafia. It\u2019s also about the gradual breakdown of relationships and status for these characters as they become consumed by the casino\u2019s mesmerizing pull.<\/p>\n
The movie is based on Nicholas Pileggi\u2019s nonfiction book and it opens with an array of stylized, documentary-like footage. Scorsese\u2019s direction is so masterful that the opening feels as entertaining as it does informative. As the film continues, the narration slowly fades away and the fast cuts give way to a more traditional narrative style. The movie evolves from an entertaining behind-the-scenes look at casinos to a story about mafia corruption and the gradual erosion of status for all involved.<\/p>\n
Casino is the best work that Scorsese has done since Goodfellas and it\u2019s largely due to the remarkable performances of his stars. While De Niro is solid as always, it\u2019s Sharon Stone who steals the show. Her performance as the amoral Ginger is a bold step for female characters in films and she delivers one of the finest performances of her career. She makes you believe that the opportunistic femme fatale that most men would aspire to tame is as unrelenting in her pursuit of money and luxury as the casinos themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Casino is about Sam \u201cAce\u201d Rothstein (De Niro), a Jewish American gambling expert hired by the Chicago Outfit to run the day-to-day operations of the Tangiers in Las Vegas. Along with mob associates such as Nicky Santoro and Ginger McKenna, he must deal with the infiltration of huge gambling corporations into a desert city that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n