What makes Casino a cult film?

In 1995, Casino was released, directed by Martin Scorsese, a three-hour drama about the mafia’s hold on gambling, inspired by a true story. It is seen through the eyes of three very vivid characters: Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, the casino boss, impartial and ambitious, played by Robert De Niro; Nicky Santoro, an ultra-violent and unpredictable gangster played by Joe Pesci; and Ginger McKenna, Rothstein’s wife, drug addict and bipolar, played by Sharon Stone. More than 25 years after its release, this film continues to be a cinematographic reference. Why is it so cult?

Las Vegas, the setting for a film with a sophisticated script

A landmark work of the 90s, “Casino” is a huge masterpiece of American cinema, the last great film to date by Martin Scorsese who touches the sublime with this sumptuous mafia fresco! Las Vegas has been used as a setting for many films but none has the strength or veracity of this one! After reading this article, you might want to stay a little while in this particular atmosphere of the casino and play the best online casino video slots to prolong the pleasure!

 The script is signed by Nicholas Pileggi, who had already written the mythical “Goodfellas” and the virtuosity of Marty is at its peak as evidenced by the editing and use of music such as the magnificent “Nights In White Satin” of the Moody Blues). 

Outstanding acting performances

The story that is told to us in the form of a Greek tragedy could be entitled: “How the Mafia has lost Las Vegas? The staging is at the service of a dense, abundant and dazzlingly masterful film, that is what makes Casino so powerful. All the actors are at the top of their art, the interpretations are outstanding and unforgettable! Starting with Bobby de Niro who admirably plays an emblematic casino director and knows better than anyone, with a silence or a look, how to bring depth and truth to the character of Sam “Ace” Rothstein! At his side, a superb Sharon Stone, the love of his life, splendid but idle, obsessed by money and luxury! The artist finds by far her most beautiful role in cinema and we are not ready to forget the intensity of her look, nor this way of entering our memory at each of her confrontations with Bob De Niro! Joe Pesci’s performance cannot be summarized, it can be savored sentence by sentence, word by word. However, they are not alone, and the rest of the cast, even in the smallest roles, has been chosen with a particularly appreciable care (let’s greet the performances of Don Rickles and Frank Vincent). 

“Casino” where the world of gambling in the 70’s according to Scorsese, under the joint influence of politicians and the mafia, with scenes of unprecedented violence and especially in its epilogue! After 2h58 of projection, we applaud and we ask for more with a trio of actors (De Niro-Stone-Pesci) who knew how to capture and exploit all the complexity that the subject imposed to their game! 

An incomparable masterpiece

When it was released, and still today, Casino is decried as a simple rehash of Goodfellas. But it would be simplistic to stop at this comparison. First of all, because all the subjects dealt with in the 1990 film are exacerbated and act as hyperboles, and secondly, because the atmospheres are different. In Goodfellas, we are often amused by Ray Liotta’s frivolities. But if we find ourselves laughing in Casino, it’s really about sarcasm, in front of this flashy and limitless environment. Casino is colder, more insidious, the stakes are higher and the characters, soaked in mistrust, are grandiloquent. Intense and devastating, excessive and cruel, devastating and frenetic, Casino is a powerful masterpiece.