"Casino" (1995) - One Of My Favourite Movies Of All Time

'Casino' directed by Martin Scorsese - starring Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone - won my heart by storm when I watched it for the first time. I played a lot of poker back in the days, so I spent a lot of time in casinos. That's why I immediatly fell in love with it. The movie captures the whole gambling vibe brilliantly. The lights, the slot machines buzzing and the shady looking people paint a perfect picture of a Las Vegas era that has long gone.

But let me tell you a little bit about the story without spoiling the movie for you:

The movie follows the life of Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (de Niro), a well known gambling handicapper, as he runs a mob-owned casino in Las Vegas. It also portrays his realtionship with his friend Nicky Santoro (Pesci), who is a mobster himself, and Ace's pursuit of making Ginger (Stone) falling in love with him. All these storylines spin out of control, leading to a grande finale. Oh and it is based on a true story.

One reason why I love this movie are the incredible performances by every cast member. Scorsese really brings out the best in them. De Niro nails the role of the smart, cold and driven Ace Rothstein. Pesci is just a force of nature in his signature role as the underrated Nicky Santoro who wants to be the most feared mobster in Vegas, and although I am usually not a big fan of her, Sharon Stone plays her heart out as Ginger. She paints the fragile and dreary state of her character perfectly, which earned her a well deserved Academy Award nomination in 1996.

This movie is just a must watch for every fan of the gangster/crime genre. In my opinion a criminally (haha you get it?) underrated movie by Scorsese that never got the love it deserves.

So if you have nothing to do on a lazy sunday and are in the mood for a superbly directed, brilliantly acted gangster movie - give 'Casino' a shot. You will not regret it.

Greetings,

ggorwell

P.S.: In fact I am going to watch it now. And as always, not a native - sorry for eventual mistakes.