“Casino” is the “based on a true story” telling of how the Mafia lost control of Las Vegas—a real American story. The tale is told through the lens of casino manager Sam Rothenstein (Robert De Niro), Sam’s hustler wife Ginger Mckenna (Sharon Stone), and “mob enforcer” Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci). Things start out pretty smooth for all of them— Rothenstein runs the Tangiers casino with hawkish efficiency, Nicky handles dirty work like a professional, and Ginger marries Sam, increasing her stature and financial situations. But no matter how good things are for them, bad decisions (spawned by personal feelings) knock over the dominoes that will prove to be each of their—and mobsters across the nation—undoing.
The film is fascinating story of decline and disintegration; the tale that a well oiled, efficient organization will (always..?) fall apart when greed weighs on every breath and people make bad choices. The story is told cleverly with multiple narrators, though I did find that it meandered more than I liked. I also spent whole chunks of the flick annoyed with the characters for their poor choices (but I guess that’s sort of the point). That is, except for Sam. Of all Scorcese-De Niro characters, I think I’m most endeared to Sam because he’s an ‘operator’ and a romantic example of the type of guy that doesn’t exist anymore—the type that gets things done.
It’s kind of impossible to separate this film from “Goodfellas”, released just five years earlier; Scorcese clearly has a ‘type’. Regardless, I liked both films a lot. I think I walked away from “Goodfellas” immediately loving it whereas I this film was a slower burn.
If it didn't already exist, I don’t think Las Vegas would have been built today. The city in a desert just doesn’t make sense and corporations are too risk averse. I think Vegas needed the Mob to get going and I think the Mob was destined to lose Vegas. But then again, so often that’s the story in America—creatives, crooks, innovators, and the immoral get something going long enough to be successful. And then comes the corporations and the government. “Casino” is an American story, after all.