Many movies only scratch the surface of Las Vegas and its glitzy nightlife, but Martin Scorsese’s Casino takes us inside the opulent casinos to show their dark side. Despite being about the mob’s involvement with casinos, the film isn’t preachy or boring. It’s also fascinating to see how Vegas has evolved over the years.
When you walk into a casino, you’ll likely see lots of tables and slot machines with flashing lights and blaring music. That’s because casinos want you to lose track of time and keep pressing your luck. They do this by obscuring clocks and windows, and offering free drinks to lure you in. The inebriated state can cloud your judgment, allowing you to keep throwing chips at the tables, despite the house’s inevitable edge.
The movie features a great cast led by Robert De Niro, who plays Sam “Ace” Rothstein, the gambling kingpin for the fictional Tangiers hotel that he all but runs for the mob elders back East. Sharon Stone is also terrific as his blonde hustler girlfriend Ginger McKenna, and Joe Pesci’s character of the cold-blooded Nicky Santoro adds a layer of tension to every scene. The movie is long, at almost three hours, but the energy stays high throughout the film and it never lags. With a taut script and masterful editing, it’s a thriller from start to finish.