Casino

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Casino follows Robert De Niro’s Sam Rothstein as he’s enlisted to run a Las Vegas casino by the mob – with complications ensuing after Sam’s hot-headed friend (Joe Pesci’s Nicky Santoro). Filmmaker Scorsese, armed with his and Nicholas Pileggi, delivers an overlong yet mostly engrossing drama that gets off to a blisteringly-paced start, as the picture opens with a narration-heavy first act that effectively establishes the various characters and their (predominantly) illicit exploits – with the impact of these scenes certainly heightened by Robert Richardson’s slick, eye-popping visuals and a series of memorable performances. (De Niro and Pesci are, of course, incredible here, but it’s clear, too, that Scorsese has elicited career-best work from Sharon Stone, cast as Sam’s volatile girlfriend.) And while the movie’s midsection admittedly does suffer from a few lulls, particularly when Scorsese emphasizes behind-the-scenes mob activities to a somewhat oppressive degree, Casino, buoyed by several absolutely enthralling digressions (eg Sam and Nicky’s electric confrontation in the desert), builds towards a satisfying (and predictably grim) final stretch that confirms its place as a top-notch effort from Scorsese.

***1/2 out of ****