‘Flawless’ gangster film with A-list cast on ITVX now | Films | Entertainment
Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro are lovers in the film Casino (Image: Getty Images)
A film hailed as “an absolute mob masterpiece” and “pure adrenaline” by movie enthusiasts is now streaming on ITVX. The movie, which premiered in 1995, centres on Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a Jewish-American gambling expert and handicapper who is recruited by the Chicago Outfit to manage the daily operations at the Tangiers Casino and hotel in Las Vegas.
Key figures in the story include Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a “made man” and childhood companion of Ace, and Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a savvy chip hustler who becomes Ace’s wife and mother to his daughter. The narrative chronicles Ace’s management of the casino, the challenges he encounters in his role, the Mafia’s stake in the establishment, and the progressive deterioration of his relationships and reputation as Las Vegas evolves through the decades.
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Casino is regarded as one of director Martin Scorsese’s finest works and has achieved cult status amongst devotees, who have awarded it an impressive 79% rating on film review platform Rotten Tomatoes.
One critique stated: “Martin Scorsese’s Casino is an epic film which takes place in Las Vegas and explores real characters of a period. While this film isn’t a straightforward mob movie like Goodfellas, it is hard not to search for similarities as Casino explores a shady side of the business, and sometimes it’s even more violent then its predecessor.”
“I always enjoyed Casino for its wildly entertaining acting by three great leads, high-energy directing style by Martin Scorsese, amazing set design, editing. But this film is nearly three hours long and its pacing isn’t the best… one might argue the movie would be better if they shorten scenes between De Niro and Stones characters.
“But, overall, Casino is a great film that one will hardly forget after watching it. It shows the dark side of Las Vegas during the time, and explores its real life characters and their relationships.”
Another viewer awarded it five stars, writing: “Casino is an absolute mob masterpiece. Scorsese delivers the ultimate mafia saga: ruthless power, flashy Vegas empires, brutal betrayals, and that intoxicating rise-and-crash life.
“De Niro and Pesci are legendary, the violence hits hard, the glamour seduces. Pure adrenaline for any mob movie fan. Flawless. 100% fresh.”
A third commented: “I think Casino is better than Goodfellas. Sharon Stone steals the show.” Another remarked: “It’s a Martin Scorsese film with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone. Do I need to say more? Sure they take liberties with some of the actual real life events of the Tanglers Casino and Ace Rothstein but once you dismiss that, the movie is phenomenal.”
Another viewer commented: “My favorite film in the whole wide world; I’ve seen it at least 30 times – it’s worth watching for three hours. I would watch it for four hours. I think it beats The Godfather. I think it beats Goodfellas.
“I think it’s just amazing. Robert De Niro is the best and Joe Pesci kills it along with all the Italian officers, if you haven’t seen this you were missing one of the greatest movies ever made.”
Casino is now available to air on ITVX.
