Martin Scorsese's Masterpiece "Casino"

If there was ever a movie that depicted the crime world and how its inhabitants, both prey and predators navigate it, Scorseses picture Casino is the movie that will be on every movie critics mind. With incredible casts who gave possibly their best performance ever, this fascinating movie will make you root for the bad guy, play the devils advocate by sympathizing with a gangster, and probably sign up or log in on Stakers.com to gamble just to get a feel of the action and to win.

The setting of this movie is on the premise that it's necessary to have a place where there is absolute lawlessness, a place where there's no pattern to the passing of day or the coming of night, anything earned comes at a cost, and you can leave your home penniless but return a millionaire and vice versa. This is what Vegas represents, a place where crime never sleeps. Historically, those who go to Vegas are likely to lose all their money and those who are foot soldiers or in any capacity tied to the mob will experience a rollercoaster of fast life and misfortunes.

Martin Scorseses masterpiece revealed so much about Vegas's symbiotic relationship with the Mob. It is based upon a book penned by Nicholas Pileggi. The talented writer was fortunate enough to build a relationship with a man who once oversaw four casinos for the mob. The movie largely leaned on the events of his sting with the mob. When "Casino" hit the theaters, it made moviegoers feel like whatever was thrown at them from the world of crime will never leave them for a long time. It was a truly lasting experience for them.

The first hour of the movie ran like a documentary coordinated by Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and some cast members who narrated the criminal exploits of the mob and how they siphoned millions of dollars from casinos. The movie detailed how slot machine coins, food service, gift shops, and other games were crept into in a well-organized manner by the mob. They are ruthless and don't take kindly to being cheated, which is ironic because all their wealth is ill-gained. There are enough violent scenes and vulgarity that could make some viewers shiver a little, but it is all done for originality by the movie director. Theres a well-shot scene where a man s hands were smashed with a mallet after he had cheated while playing blackjack. The message is clear, you dont steal from the casino!

Based on Rosenthal's real-life character, Samuel "Ace" Rothstein (played by Robert De Nero) takes a crack at a new life in Chicago as a sports betting clerk. The mob took an interest in him because he is a numbers guy and was tasked with running the casinos, after being deemed as a direct link to the Vegas gooses assets. Ace, a man known to avoid unnecessary hassle, invited chaos into his life when he met Ginger McKenna (played by Sharon Stone), an expensive call girl. Their tormentous relationship started when he saw her on TV. He instantly falls in love with her and tries to convince her to marry him despite several warning signs in the form of her life-long pimp named Lester Diamond (played by James Woods) and the fact that she loves being a call girl. He eventually marries her and it was the first of his many mistakes.

Another wrong turn happened earlier in his life when he got acquainted with Nicky Santoro (played by Joe Pisci) back in Chicago. Nicky is the epitome of bad news, he comes to Vegas and forms a gang of delinquents who troubled the relatively calm water of Sin city. He horrifically crushes a man's head with a heavy clamp and hes presumed by many to be the mob enforcer. A rumor he is happy to let fly around. Soon, journalists tie Nicky to Ace, and the chaos unfolds.

Scorsese tells the story with his trademark pacing and artistic tone. Unlike other movies of its kind, Casino is a product of a meticulous blend of history, plot, and character. From the way the movie was made, one could say that the city of Las Vegas is a chessboard, and people function, struggle, thrive, and disintegrate like the pieces on the chessboard, because at the heart of Vegas is a gaming machine that lures people to play a game they can win quickly enough to lose everything they own.

Throughout the course of the movie, there is a sense that in a place where the rules are made to be broken, perhaps the cracks in the wall are big enough for you to fit through and get to the other side where wealth lies.