Casino (1995)

: Hot Potato


Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci

I love a good mobster movie and, I have to admit, I love Las Vegas, so this film was a sure fit for me. I was told that it is brutally violent, and it is, but I simply close my eyes when things get too bloody and I’m good. The voice-over narratives, which switch between Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) add an unusual flavor to this Mafia related story of how two guys take on Vegas in very different ways. Ace is a guy that knows everything there is to know about gambling, thus he is chosen by the mob to run a casino in Las Vegas back in its heyday, but not being a made man gives them cause to worry, so they send Nicky to keep an eye on him and make sure he is able to do what he does best, without problematic interference. Nicky uses the opportunity to also do what he does best, which is to run his own crew and squeeze what he can out of the golden goose that is Vegas. Nicky quickly gains a reputation for being a violent force to reckon with, while Ace turns the Tangiers into a gold mine for the mob. Seems like a perfect arrangement for both men, who are living and loving the fast life, but things deteriorate and the empires they build become the foundations of their ruin. Nothing lasts forever, right? Money, power, violence and the allure of Vegas are rolled into a great story with equally great acting to make Casino a must see for those who are not too faint of heart. They say a watched pot never boils, but this potato boils right before your eyes, so keep them open and pay attention (of course, you already know my exception to this rule).

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