Casino (DVD)

...the immediate assumption was that Casino was the sequel to Goodfellas. However, this is a misconception, as both films are very different and comparing them is pretty pointless, especially considering the circumstances in which the films are based.

Based on a true story, Casino gives insight into 1970s Las Vegas, a city ruled by the invisible hand of the criminal underworld. At the heart of the film is Sam "Ace" Rothstein ...
...of view of both men, Casino studies how their world falls apart in the space of a decade due to the corruption of those around them, as well as taking a deep look into how a casino is run, bearing the message of how ultimately the casino empties the pockets of its customers. It's incredibly complex and skilled film-making, edited effortlessly to tie together what is initially almost a dramatised documentary, but one of the highest standard. The film ... more

Sequels are cursed with two stereotypical outcomes; complete failure, or extreme success, wherein it improves on its predecessor in all areas. Goodfellas, despite its flaws, was certainly a great success in film, a cult classic. So when Martin Scorsese made a second film in 1995, reuniting Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and basing it on a diverse group of Italian-American wiseguys, the immediate assumption was that Casino was the sequel to Goodfellas. However, this is a misconception, as both films are very different and comparing them is pretty pointless, especially considering the circumstances in which the films are based.

Based on a true story, Casino gives insight into 1970s Las Vegas, a city ruled by the invisible hand of the criminal underworld. At the heart of the film is Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a flamboyant, skilled casino executive, and his life-long friend, unpredictable wiseguy, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), both of them Italian-Americans who've made it big. From the point of view of both men, Casino studies how their world falls apart in the space of a decade due to the corruption of those around them, as well as taking a deep look into how a casino is run, bearing the message of how ultimately the casino empties the pockets of its customers. It's incredibly complex and skilled film-making, edited effortlessly to tie together what is initially almost a dramatised documentary, but one of the highest standard. The film flows smoothly and aptly, condensing complicated information into something compelling, whilst being accompanied by 1970s period music and frequent monologues by De Niro and Pesci, narrating their way through events. Not one minute of its three hour running time is boring or unnecessary, everything slots together perfectly to construct a film of the highest standard.

What sets Casino apart from Goodfellas is a sense of humanity and morality in the characters. While Casino tells the story of a corrupt Las Vegas, at the heart of the film is the relationship Rothstein has with Santoro, as well as his wife, Ginger (Sharon Stone). All three characters are strong, none of them more powerful than another, each one equally unique and compelling. They're developed as the story progresses, and unlike in Goodfellas where the characters seem more like lovable (and slightly two-dimensional) rogues, Casino presents to the audience a host of main characters who are flawed and entirely human. Where Goodfellas went wrong in terms of character was the fact that Joe Pesci's character dominated any scene he was in with excessive cursing and brutality, which would result in Pesci upstaging the rest of the cast. However, Nicky Santoro is like a much more refined, civilised version of Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas. There's a sense of believability about his character and he has more purpose than pure violence, and especially ties in with Sharon Stone's character. Indeed, there can be no scene stealing by Pesci with Stone's fiery, unstable, yet empathetic portrayal of Rothstein's wife. She acts the emotion down to a tee, ranging from suavely seductive, to affectionate, to hormonal, to insane anger. De Niro, on the other hand, is on centre stage at his most crisp ever; he's particularly calm in comparison to his two companions, his emotion conveyed through a complexion of rationality, but then later transformed into one of frustration and fury. The chemistry between the characters is staggering in its veracity and realism, leading to some explosive scenes which are both powerful and shocking. This is where Casino exceeds; it's far more character-driven than Goodfellas, rather on more of a par with Mean Streets, establishing the relationships on every level. The viewer really becomes attached to the characters in one way or another, and it's a film that can be interpreted from numerous perspectives. Nothing is shoved down your throat as much as it is in Goodfellas; everything remains low-key and subtle, and most importantly, authentic. De Niro and Pesci give some terrific improvisation, and are backed by an equally terrific supporting cast, including James Woods, Don Rickles, Dick Smothers, Alan King, Kevin Pollak and LQ Jones as the colourful characters in the world of Vegas.

The whole point of Casino in its examination of the Las Vegas mob is to keep it as subtle as possible. Martin Scorsese insisted that this is not a mob movie, and he's certainly right. There are mob elements to the film, but Casino is more of an analysis of the Las Vegas casinos themselves, how they operate, the corruption that lies at the core, and how they are linked to the mafia. Casino is meticulous in the details, obsessively explaining how the casinos run and where your money ends up. It deals in the legitemate fronts, the political links, law enforcement ... you name it, Casino covers it. Not only does the film in the character relations, but it also applies this to how this screws up the Las Vegas lifestyle for them. Indeed, Scorsese vividly illustrates how the garish superficiality may be glamourous, but beneath it is corrupt. Casino is a study of the abuse of power; the rise and fall of a criminally managed Las Vegas.

The flamboyancy in which the abuse of power is handled is masterful. In some senses, Casino could be a period piece, with Scorsese capturing the flamboyancy of the 70s, ranging from the clothes (cue Robert De Niro in some particularly colourful suits), to the music, to the cadillacs, to the architecture, to the drugs, to the most minute of props. This all accumulates as the film goes on, until we come to a point where the style is all just a thin shell covering up the rot beneath the surface. It's all just a facade to what goes on behind the scenes, whether it be the deteriorating marriage of Ace, or the mafia-dominated casinos. Nevertheless, once we have broken the surface, entering those dingy backrooms of the casinos, we see the corruption at its most gritty and raw. Scorsese does not hold back in showing brutal violence, and in a film that is incredibly visceral, it would be pointless to leave this out. We see style juxtaposed with brutality, whether it be Joe Pesci stabbing a man with a biro in a swanky bar, or sex in a glitzy hotel room.

This is what makes Casino such a gem to look at; Martin Scorsese's direction is amongst the best and most accomplished he has done, using the glamorous Las Vegas as a canvas for the drama. The settings ooze atmosphere, ranging from smokey bars, to the heat of the desert, to the psychedelic 70s houses, to the vast, sprawling, kitsch casinos themselves. But while the setting might be pleasing, it's Scorsese's general use of everything that makes the direction so fantastic. The direction is the only part of Casino that is worth directly comparing to Goodfellas. Whatever the view is of Goodfellas, or indeed Casino, Scorsese's direction is flawless. Casino has been described as Goodfellas, but only bigger. To some extent, this is true of the direction, with Scorsese taking it to more epic heights, but there is a certain smoothness in the direction that shows Casino to exceed Goodfellas directorally. Scorsese skillfully makes it flow effortlessly, connecting everything with a hand-picked soundtrack that ranges from the Rolling Stones, to the Animals, to the Moody Blues, all the songs perfectly fitting the mood and emphasising the atmosphere. It all feels so authentic, and the superb use of atmosphere through music, setting, monologues and imagery is the vivacity with which Scorsese implements in his other films, preventing them from dating. Casino is Scorsese's ultimate use of his direction, which is arguably pretentious, but it's appropriate to the kitsch of Casino, and is pretty much flawless as it is timeless.

Although Casino is a gem of acting and direction, the grounds on where it might me criticised is that it arguably does not appeal to a mass audience. Ignoring the graphic content that people might be upset by, and looking at it relatively, Casino is a film that is packed with information. This information may be compacted and compelling, but there's still a lot to take in that people may not appreciate, especially in the fact that it practically starts off as a docu-drama. In addition to this, people may tire of the three hour running time, and if the subject matter is not to their taste, it's better to find a more linear gangster film. Casino is a film of the highest quality, a picture that you can ponder about for ages, gets better on every repeated viewing, and when you re-watch it, still pick out something new, but Goodfellas has the wider appeal. Casino is specifically looking at a particular period of crime in a particular area, whereas Goodfellas is a simpler story. It's all just a matter of personal preference.

Casino is pure cinema, visceral and superficially striking, whilst having a substantial drama element in its complex, humanistic characters. It's obsessive in its attention to detail, riveting in its plot, and once the drama gets going, the actors give it all they have, and are electrifying, emotionally engaging the audience, bringing itself onto the scale of Raging Bull. Indeed, this is probably Scorsese's best and most accomplished work since his biopic of Jake La Motta. Engaging, compelling, humanistic and striking, Casino is one of the films that marked the 90s. And while the mindless drones gamble away their money in the casinos, ultimately it's the people behind the scenes taking the biggest gamble, rolling the dice for material purposes, at their lives' expense as it all counts down to one breath-taking climax. 

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