Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7200 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-07-11
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, Dubbed, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish
• Dubbed in: Hungarian
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Director Martin Scorsese reunites with members of his GoodFellas gang (writer Nicholas Pileggi; actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Frank Vincent) for a three-hour epic about the rise and fall of mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a character based on real-life gangster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. (It's modelled on Wiseguy and GoodFellas and Pileggi's true crime book Casino: Love and Honour in Las Vegas.) Through Rothstein, the picture tells the story of how the Mafia seized, and finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling. The first hour plays like a fascinating documentary, intricately detailing the inner workings of Vegas casinos. Sharon Stone is the stand out among the actors; she nabbed an Oscar nomination for her role as the voracious Ginger, the glitzy call girl who becomes Rothstein's wife. The film is not as fast-paced or gripping as Scorsese's earlier gangster pictures (Mean Streets and Good Fellas) but it's still absorbing. And, hey--it's Scorsese! --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Martin Scorsese, one of America's most influential filmmakers, returns to the world of mobsters, greed, and excess that he explored so compellingly in 1990's Goodfellas. Set in the 1970s and revelling in the minute details of how Las Vegas casinos operate, the film chronicles the rise and fall of casino manager Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro). As the king of his domain, Ace efficiently runs the business and regularly sends lots of cold cash to his bosses. Helping him keep the casino's employees and customers honest is his best friend, Nicky (Joe Pesci), a violent sociopath. Although Ace aims to run a relatively respectable casino, the volatile Nicky wants to take over the entire gambling mecca, and when Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a seasoned Vegas hustler, enters the picture, Ace and Nicky's friendship is complicated even further. As drugs and alcohol become a bigger part of Ginger's life, all three are eventually brought down by their own greed and blind ambition. Casino shares many similarities with Goodfellas, beginning with a script that was cowritten by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi. Regulars De Niro and Pesci are first rate once again as the dissimilar companions, but it is Stone who steals the show with her gruelling, intense performance.

Customer Reviews

Masterpeice of modern cinema; dark, glamorous and thrilling
It must be annoying for Martin Scorsese when people call Casino Goodfellas Part 2 and understandably so; Casino, though featuring both Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, is completely a film of its own. Goodfellas was a study of the middle class gangsters of New York; Casino is about the middle class making it big. It is a far more ambitious film than Goodfellas, strangely more civilised and tamed because of the glamorous setting of Las Vegas, which is revealed to be so hollow and controlled by a group of corrupt old men.

Casino tells the story of Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (De Niro), a Jewish casino manager in 1970s Las Vegas. It revolves around the system of the casinos and how ultimately you lose more money than you gain, but also his relationship with his childhood friend, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) and his wife, Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone). It flows so beautifully, describing in rich detail through the voiceovers of De Niro and Pesci how the casino works. Casino is such a classy film, each shot packed with glamour and the plot fueled by a great soundtrack and sharp dialogue. There are so many memorable moments and essentially it serves so much less as a biopic than Goodfellas.

The acting is first rate - De Niro shines in all 180 minutes, playing a flawed and possessive man, but one who is weighed down by his loyalities to friends. Joe Pesci is on top form as the reckless Nicky Santoro, a mob boss. His performance is similar to that of Goodfellas, but there is something more classy and swish about it. Sharon Stone would steal the show if it wasn't for De Niro and Pesci, as her performance is one of perfection. You will not know whether to pity, hate, or love her character. This is what makes Casino so great. The characters are so complex and human, they are totally believable and you will be ever curious of their ultimate fates.

This really is Martin Scorsese's finest work of the 90s. If you were to compare it to Goodfellas, you would call Goodfellas perfected, as it takes everything in Goodfellas to the next level, whether it be the charisma of its characters, the violence, the dialogue, or the cinematography. This character driven story will get better each time you watch it and flows like a river, every scene a classic in its own way.

If you are a fan of Martin Scorsese, then Casino is a must have. Even if you're not a fan, Casino is by all means worth watching and an instant classic in the crime/thriller/drama genre.

Awesome!
You could write this film off as a Goodfellas rehash, but don't! It is quite simply, fantastic! Of course, the similarities to Goodfellas are there, what with the obvious one being the cast and crew. The good thing is, though, is that Casino somehow manages to feel quite different despite looking the same.
The acting is, like Goodfellas, absolutely suberb, with even the bit part players convincing. An Oscar Nominated Sharon Stone as Ginger is absolutely stellar, in parts stealing the show as a money grabbing hustler only out for herself. Joe Pesci is also excellent as Nicky Santoro, practically playing Tommy Devito all over again, albeit slightly more sinister, if you can imagine that. It's Robert Deniro who really shines in this movie though as Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, the calm and calculating Casino Director.
What amazes me about Deniro is that he always seems to not just play the character, but become them. Unlike other flavour-of-the-month, Hollywood expendables, Deniro is always a different person with different traits that he brings to the role through acting without having to use the script to show who his character is. Here, he does just that. There is barely a trace of his Goodfellas role, the cold, ruthless Jimmy Conway.
Also look out for James Woods as the ultimate loser boyfriend and Kevin Pollak of The Usual Suspects as mafia pawn Philip Green.
The style of the film is also Goodfellas-esque, but that could only be a good thing. Scorsese's philosophy must be that, if you've a good idea, why not use it again? The editing is quick and therefore helps along the pace. It's amazing how much information he and editor Thelma Schoonmaker can cram into a film. It may be nearly three hours long, but considering the timeline spans 10 years, that's pretty good.
Music, once again like Goodfellas, is also used heavily and effectively. Most of the time you don't even notice it's there, but when you do, you find that hundreds of tracks are used across almost the entire film, amazingly always fitting perfectly with the tone and length of the scene.
The question is, which is better: Casino or Goodfellas? Having loved Goodfellas and ranking in my all time top films, I'd have to say that my personal favourite has definitely changed to Casino. It's the way that, yes, it is like Goodfellas, but on a much larger scale. It's as though Scorsese just wanted more. The violence is more graphic, the costumes are colourful and garish, the performances are equally terrific, but, at parts, more stand-out and memorable.
If you enjoy Scorsese's work and this masterpiece has so far eluded you, I recommend you buy it right away.

2xDVD
None of the other reviewers so far have mentioned anything about the fact this is a special edition version of Casino with 2 DVD's. One is entirely filled with documentaries surrounding the movie, and cast/crew interviews involving most of the main characters. These documentaries are great, and the interviews are very good and reveal a lot about the people behind the actors. Sharon Stone even breaks down in one of the interviews for some reason or other, but I can't quite figure out why. Classic film.