Part of Weekend Classics: Beat The Heat
CASINO follows Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a Jewish American gambling expert handicapper who is asked by the Chicago Outfit to oversee the day-to-day casino and hotel operations at the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Ace is up on his luck as the casino starts to turn a profit, but those closest to him – Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a “made man” and childhood friend of Ace, and Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a streetwise chip hustler whom Ace marries, threaten to interfere with Ace’s success. The film details Ace’s operation of the casino, the difficulties he confronts in his job, the Mafia’s involvement with the casino, and the gradual breakdown of his relationships and standing — as Las Vegas changes over the years.
While not the most decorated Scorsese film by way of awards — though Sharon Stone was nominated for best actress at the 68th Academy Awards, and Scorsese won Best Director at the Golden Globes that season — CASINO remains a fan favorite decades since its release.
“Scorsese gets the feel, the mood, almost the smell of the city just right; De Niro and Pesci inhabit their roles with unconscious assurance, Stone’s call girl is her best performance, and the supporting cast includes such people as Don Rickles, whose very presence evokes an era…. Unlike his other Mafia movies (MEAN STREETS and GOODFELLAS), Scorsese’s CASINO is as concerned with history as with plot and character. The city of Las Vegas is his subject.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Nov 22, 1995) “Of all the bravura visual effects in Martin Scorsese's dazzlingly stylish CASINO, it's a glimpse of ordinary people that delivers the greatest jolt.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times (Nov 22, 1995) “A scorching, gripping depiction of the underside of the American Dream, fascinating even to us nickel-slots types. It’s also excruciatingly violent, unabashedly nostalgic and coursed through with enough combustible drama to stake three mob movies.” —Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter (Nov 22, 1995)
