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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Casino" (1995) is director
Martin Scorsese's analytical, if overly graphic,
critique of mob rule and its loss of control over
Las Vegas' gambling empire. It stars Robert De
Niro as Sam Rothstein, a handpicked inside wise
guy and front-runner. Sam's put in charge of one
of the biggest gaming palaces on the strip, The
Tangiers. Initially he's assigned to clean up the
penny corruption of local shady con artists. After
all, the mob can't be the one's getting scammed.
However, when Sam meets Ginger (Sharon Stone) the
sexy and devil-may-care high rolling courtesan of
the blackjack tables, he throws caution and the
advice from his mob bosses to the wind in favor of
a good time. This already volatile situation is
further stimulated by the arrival of Nicky Santora
(Joe Pesci), a thug in a fancy suit with a decided
disregard for the niceties of gracious living.
Nicky presents himself as Sam's indispensable
appendage. But it isn't long before his
uncontrollable behavior threatens to topple Sam
from his roost. With the mob bosses getting very
nervous over Nicky's rising body count and Sam's
flamboyance in the work place, it isn't long
before everything falls apart.
Scorsese populates his cinematic landscape with a
veritable who's who of contemporary stellar and
old time talent, including Don Rickles, Kevin
Pollack, James Woods, Dick Smothers and Alan King.
After some smart talking and fast shooting at the
crap tables, Scorsese takes us on the real tour of
Vegas -- in its corrupt byways, brothels and
hidden cemeteries out in the middle of an
unassuming cornfield.
The 10th Anniversary Edition of "Casino" has been
remastered for DVD. The anamorphic picture element
is free of the dirt and debris that the prior bare
bones release of this formidable film had. Colors
are rich, vibrant. Contrast levels are bang on.
There is a bit of color bleeding during some of
the underexposed scenes, but perhaps this in
keeping with the film's original texture. Blacks
are deep and solid. Fine details are fully
realized throughout. Only a hint of edge
enhancement intrudes (and then, only briefly) on
an otherwise impressive transfer. The audio is 5.1
and delivers a real punch and kick to the bass and
rear speakers, particularly with its emphasis on
vintage background music. The brutalization of
Nicky with a baseball bat is even more viscerally
disturbing in this new sonic mix. You can actually
hear subtle nuances in breathing as they bludgeon
him to death. Extras include a bevy of making of
featurettes, including interviews with many of the
principle cast, some nice behind the scenes
junkets, deleted scenes, and an extensive
backstage look at the real life incidents that
inspired the film. Bottom line is, this is the
version of "Casino" fans have been waiting for. |
