In the 1990s, Martin Scorsese not only delivered one of the best gangster films of all time with “GoodFellas”, but also with “Casino”. The three-hour epic will be screened on free TV this Sunday.
When you talk about the best gangster films of all time, you either talk about “The Godfather”, “Once Upon a Time in America”, “Carlito’s Way” and “Scarface” or “the films of Martin Scorsese”. The Italian-American cult director has shaped the genre not only with “Witches’ Cauldron”, “GoodFellas”, “Departed” or most recently “The Irishman”, but also with “Casino” from 1995.
The three-hour epic with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone is definitely one of the best gangster films of all time for us and is showing today, 1 January at 23.15 on One. If tonight’s broadcast is too late for you, you can also simply switch to the Blu-ray or DVD, which you can buy on Amazon, for example:
THAT’S WHAT “CASINO “
IS ALL ABOUT.
The year is 1973: Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) rises to the position of general manager of the renowned Tengiers casino in Las Vegas. He has to ensure the constant flow of money for his mafia bosses. Politicians are bribed and the gamblers kept in check, just don’t win too much. To do this, Ace diverts a hefty cut for the mob. The hothead Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) keeps the worst of it away from his friend Rothstein, but does so with extreme brutality and doesn’t only make friends with this method.
But for the time being everything is going well until Ace falls in love with the high-class prostitute Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone). The woman is looking for wealth and for this reason she agrees to marry Rothstein. A fatal decision, because the casino manager gradually loses all control over his life. The frustrated Ginger takes refuge in drugs and alcohol. A fatal downward spiral takes its course…
THIS IS WHY “CASINO” IS A MASTERPIECE
The official FILMSTARTS review gave “Casino” the highest rating with 5 out of 5 possible stars. Our author Carsten Baumgardt writes in his conclusion:
“Always a little underrated as a follow-up to ‘GoodFellas’, ‘Casino’ is without question one of Scorsese’s best films; formally, the breathtaking mafia kaleidoscope is probably even his most mature. Equipped with every conceivable finesse, ‘Casino’ radiates a cool yet electrifying elegance that sucks the audience into a vortex and exposes them to the mercilessly good, uncompromising flood of images. A masterpiece. “
With “Casino”, Martin Scorsese sets one hell of a pace right from the start: “For almost an hour, Scorsese spreads out his exposition, explaining in a breathtaking staccato the mechanisms of the Mafia organisation in 1970s Las Vegas. This character introduction is among the most furious cinema has ever seen. Of course, it takes a master like Scorsese to make this daring construction, backed by off-camera commentary, work at all.”
After this sprawlingly brilliant opening, the actual plot comes into its own, which Scorsese – once again – uses to coolly and analytically illustrate the working methods of the Mafia down to the smallest detail. “All of them are greedy and insatiable in their pursuit of big money in order to force happiness through it. None of the protagonists is squeamish in their choice of means. That the spiral of violence and corruption must lead to ruin becomes clearer with every minute of screen time.” Without wanting to spoil: Towards the end, there is also one of the toughest and most disturbing scenes of 1990s cinema here. Not only the images, but also the sounds on the soundtrack will stay with you for a long time.
However, the fact that “Casino” is so thoroughly great is also due to the fabulous ensemble. In addition to Robert De Niro, who once again plays Sam Rothstein with outstanding presence, Joe Pesci is also back in top form. After winning an Oscar for “GoodFellas”, he once again plays an ultra-brutal choleric – and completely takes over every scene with his unbridled temper. Another big surprise is Sharon Stone, who delivers one of the best performances of her life as the sly, money-grubbing Ginger.
