On C List of Movie Reviews
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Casino (1995)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
6/04, 3/09, 1/26
3/09:
After Raging Bull and Goodfellas,
Casino is the third film by Martin Scorsese featuring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Frank Vincent,
among others.
Mostly a rehash of the previous two, the first eighty minutes seemed to work well. I was thinking to
myself, "Why doesn't it deserve a '10'?" Then, the next hundred minutes proceeded to answer my question.
The editing isn't bad, but there are numerous brief scenes. As a result, everything feels rushed, but I get
the gist of what Las Vegas was all about and how Ace Rothstein did his job. Then, I'm introduced to a bunch of
characters along with the subplots. It was working out well until the fall started. From there on, the subplots
are poorly utilized, and a trainload of new characters come and go without me knowing who the heck they are.
The drama between Ace Rothstein and his wife is unconvincing, failing to add much significance to the movie.
Anyway, what an awful performance by Sharon Stone. I still laugh at the fact that she was given an Oscar
nomination. In short, Sharon Stone was miscast. Robert De Niro is fair but gets stuck with an underdeveloped
character. At any rate, his run as a terrific Scorsese actor is over. Joe Pesci has his moments yet struggles
with the same problem as De Niro's. Rather, he's used for the purpose of filling in the time.
Increasingly, the film has become about the colors of Robert De Niro's suits, the lights of Las Vegas, and
Sharon Stone's wardrobe instead of quality acting and storylines. Let's be fair: Martin Scorsese is done. He
has produced enough classic films, and it's been an outstanding career for him.
All in all, Casino is a disappointing film for a lot of reasons.
1/26:
I wondered if I misjudged Casino, but it looks like not.
This time, I'm upgrading my rating from '6' to weak '7'. Obviously, the entire film is a repeat of
Goodfellas in terms of style. Every time something is shown, I
can instantly recall a specific scene.
The first hour goes well with quality writing, but the narration ultimately becomes overwhelming. Martin
Scorsese starts with the big picture and then drills down to the small players, causing him to lose control
over the film in the long run.
Joe Pesci is another issue. The more he's involved, the less I'm interested in his character. What should've
happened is putting the focus on Robert De Niro as Ace Rothstein from start to finish. Sharon Stone
gives an okay performance, but it's certainly not worthy of an Oscar nomination. Her character is so dramatic
that she's actually turned into a caricature. Forget about James Woods; he's barely there.
On the positive side, Robert Richardson's cinematography is top-notch, and there are some strong scenes. My
favorite is when Ace Rothstein figures out the cheating angle and has the two guys sent to a special room with
one of them getting hit with a hammer on his hand. Another I like is when he got up from the chair and put his
pants on so the wrinkles won't occur.
All in all, Casino may look like a winner, but the truth is: Martin Scorsese has overplayed his hand this
time, admitting, "It's three hours, no plot. So you know this going in. There's a lot of action, a lot of story,
but no plot."