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The Movie:
(movie review written in 2000)
"Casino" is a fascinating, exciting picture that gets occasionally gets sidetracked by a couple noticable problems. Martin Scorsese's 1995 picture starts off remarkably well. After a short opening, we are lead into the heart of Las Vegas by one Sam "Ace" Rothstein. The mob is skimming thousands out of the Casinos of the city - in one particularly interesting scene, the camera goes into the back rooms and we see the money coming in in almost unimaginable amounts. We also see the rivers that break off from the main stream.
Rothstein is joined by several people from all parts of the mob, but there's one individual who'd cause the most trouble. Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) is an old friend of Ace, but he's extremely volatile and violent, a dangerous criminal who forces his weight around the city - soon enough, he's got his own gang who starts to draw too much attention to themselves, which results in stand-offs between the two old friends.
Something else comes between the two, as well. Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone) is spotted one day by Ace while he's watching the cameras looking down on the casino. He's fallen for her, but she's going to end up causing him more trouble than he'd expected. The two are enjoying one another at first, but she's soon heading back to her low-end criminal ex, played well by James Woods. Public fights and the high cost of her company soon threaten not only their marriage, but Ace's business in Vegas and the entire empire.
Most of the performances are powerful and effective. DeNiro, who has chosen to go other routes such as comedy since, is dramatic and forceful without being showy. It's a top-notch performance from a marvelous actor. Pesci is impressive, as well - he's jovial one moment and psychotic the next. There's also several strong supporting performances from actors like Don Rickles. The only performance that didn't work for me when I first saw the film six years ago and still doesn't work for me is Sharon Stone's. Maybe it's just the character, although I've never been that thrilled with any of her efforts. Her Ginger is shrill and the romance between her and DeNiro is the least interesting element of the story, which makes the second half, when it comes into focus, suffer.
Technically, the film looks wonderful. Usual Scorsese (as well as Oliver Stone) collaborator Robert Richardson's 2.35:1 widescreen cinematography is simply dazzling, with terrific compositions and some interesting cinematic tricks. As usual, Scorsese's use of music is fantastic - the film is wall-to-wall with classic tunes that manage to compliment the scene perfectly. Scorsese's usual editor Thelma Schoonmaker also does a splendid job here, as usual. The film's pace, even stretched out to nearly three hours, is perfect - the rise and fall of the group is not abrupt, but a gradual arc. Production design, costume design and all of the other details are exactly right.
It's probably not the best work that Scorsese has produced, but it still contains several terrific performances and amazing cinematography from one of the best in the business as well as great direction. I would have liked less focus on the Stone character, but overall, "Casino" is still a strong piece of work.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Casino" is once again presented by Universal in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (a pan & scan version, unfortunately, is also available.) The presentation is noted as being remastered and, certainly, there do seem to be some improvements present. The picture does seem noticably smoother and crisper than the prior edition, as detail appears consistently improved.
That said, there are still some minor instances of pixelation present here, as well as some light shimmering and edge enhancement. The print was largely in fine condition, but there were some minor instances where specks and marks were visible. Some slight grain was also present at times, although this appears to be an intentional element of the photography.
The film's vibrant color palette looked even a bit more vibrant here, with the neon colors appearing bright and vivid, with no smearing or other faults. Colors looked perfectly saturated and flawless. Overall, a perfectly good transfer and an improvement over the prior release.
SOUND: Understandably, given the length of the movie, there's no DTS soundtrack this time around. "Casino" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 here, and it is the same presentation as before. The film's sound design is not particularly agressive or remarkable. Music is really the only element that gets presented by the surrounds - this gives it terrific presence, with only a few older songs that sound a tiny bit strained. Dialogue sounds clear and crisp, never thin or edgy.
EXTRAS: The first disc includes a sort-of "commentary" - "Memories of Casino", which features participation from Sharon Stone, Martin Scorsese, Nicholas Pileggi and others (such as Editor Thelma Schoonmaker.) The track is a mixture of commentary and taped interviews - some of the comments are screen-specific, but others are not. Although the absence of a full Scorsese commentary is rather disappointing, this track isn't bad, as it provides a nice look at the making of the film from a few different perspectives. Author Pileggi provides insights as to the real life background of the film's events, Scorsese discusses helming the production, Stone provides an interesting discussion of her experiences acting in the film with the rest of the cast and Schoonmaker offers an insightful discussion of how the film was constructed.
Flip the disc over, and there are more supplements to be found, including:
"Story of Casino", which is a look at the actual story behind the film. Author Nicholas Pileggi discusses writing the book on the events, working with Scorsese on the film and his experiences with the production. Scorsese and others are also interviewed. "Casino: Cast and Characters" discusses how the actors were cast and the real people that they are portraying in the film. The actors discuss their view on the characters, and Stone talks about her audition process (as well as trying to get into "the group", as many of the other actors and crew already knew each other.)
Scorsese, Schoonmaker, production designer Dante Ferreti and others discuss the look of the movie in "Casino: The Look". Next is "Casino: After the Filming", where editor Schoonmaker and others discuss the planning of major scenes and the process of constructing the movie. Scorsese also briefly talks about his thoughts regarding the current state of cinema.
To give a fuller idea of the history and backstory behind the film, we also get the fairly brief documentary, "Vegas and the Mob", as well as a longer History Channel piece, "True Crime Authors: Casino with Nicholas Pileggi".
Finally, we get a few brief deleted scenes (interesting stuff, but nothing that seems like it should have been left in) and production notes. The theatrical trailer is not included due to (I'm guessing) music rights issues.
Final Thoughts: "Casino" isn't without a few things that still don't appeal to me, but I continue to like the overall film more and more every time I see it. The performances are mostly terrific, the film's visual style is stunning and, despite being nearly three hours, the picture moves well and retains its tension and power throughout. Universal's 10th Anniversary Edition does disappoint in that it doesn't offer a commentary, but everything else about it is pleasing. It's nice to see this film get a well-deserved new presentation. Recommended.
Film Grade
The Film A
DVD Grades
Video 88/B
Audio: 88/B
Extras: 80/B-
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