After the huge success of Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese was able to make Casino. This is an epic tale about Vegas and its history of vice, starring Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. This film is not without violence, but it is very well done, with scenes that include a torture-by-vice (complete with popped eyeball) and a baseball bat beating (which had to be cut for an NC-17 rating). Unlike sanitized and upbeat films of the past which glorified the glitz of Sin City, Casino shows its darker side. It also laments how the once seedy gambling city has been turned into a family friendly theme park.
The film’s main characters are casino owner Sam Rothstein and mobster Nicky Santoro. Rothstein is a smart business man who has to balance his professional life with the dangerous world of organized crime. He is portrayed by Robert De Niro and is tough but fairly honest for a gangster. His partner, flamboyant hoodster Nicky Santoro, is a loose cannon who lets his anger govern many of his decisions.
As with most of his movies, Scorsese explores the complicated relationship between a criminal and their wives and girlfriends. While this has been done before in other mob movies, it is especially effective here. Sharon Stone also gives a strong performance as Ginger McKenna, a big step for women in films by a director who has traditionally excluded them from his work. Casino is a powerful and fascinating look at the nature of crime and how nobody ever stays at the top for long.
