Sure it may be like that, but I guarantee that Casino is another classic from Martin Scorsese albeit quite underrated. Because of that, it’s now another all-time favorite of mine despite the fact that it is a moody film and one that I should only see on a nice schedule due to its’ runtime. In all honesty, you need to be in the right mood for this film as it is very heavy in terms of drama. Running for roughly three hours, Casino frankly is a long film. Scorsese manages to give characters unpredictability once again which makes the viewers guess who should be trusted, which again makes the story more compelling. Scorsese perfectly balances these two plots as one exposes the sinful ways of the city and its’ dark lavishness and the other brings us the tale of a man and the fall of his empire which is hindered by two people. It may contain elements, but it widely focuses in Las Vegas and the lives of those who run it. The lines in the voiceovers may not be that iconic, but they still have Scorsese’s greatness engraved on them. Like Goodfellas, Casino’s voiceovers are vital to the plot as they let our characters speak their thoughts but this time humor is reduced as seriousness takes over. This is most effective as this central theme gives Casino a much darker tone, making it easy to differentiate. Goodfellas tells the story of a kid with ambitions to make it into the mob business, while Casino pays attention to the theme of greed and how it plays out in Vegas.

Casino is claimed by some to be akin to that of Scorsese’s hit “Goodfellas” but I beg to differ. These are evident through the scenes that contain arguments, which quickly became my favorite parts of the film thanks to the excellent dialogue and the delivery of lines the cast gave. Though it may require patience from its’ viewers, you’re guaranteed to get recompense through its’ superb cast that consists of De Niro, Pesci and Sharon Stone who all deliver first-rate performances. Lengthy but rewarding, Casino has more than a few to offer. After seeing “Goodfellas” for the first time yesterday, I revisited one of the first Scorsese films I’ve owned on DVD which is “Casino”.

Casino 1995 theme