Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
In Las Vegas, two best friends--a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Casino is a sprawling, meticulously crafted crime epic from Scorsese at the height of his powers. The performances from De Niro, Pesci, and Stone are exceptional — Pesci's Nicky Santoro is a force of nature and Stone earned an Oscar nomination for good reason. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is stunning, making Las Vegas glow and pulse with dangerous energy. The plot, however, covers familiar Scorsese rise-and-fall territory that feels like a companion piece to Goodfellas, limiting its Novelty score — it treads well-worn ground even if it executes it brilliantly. The ending, while thematically coherent, feels somewhat deflating and overly narrated compared to the visceral storytelling that precedes it, landing with less impact than the film's peak moments deserve.