Casino (Movie Review)

Few films take the risks that Casino does, and it’s a bold, brilliant achievement on every level. It takes some of the basic formulas that were established in Goodfellas and applies them to a different type of story. The film focuses on the men who controlled those blue collar gangsters and shows how their lust for money and power can lead to destruction on a grand scale.

The film has an interesting structure that uses a mixture of flashbacks and present day footage. The scenes that are shot in the present focus on the relationships between the various characters while the flashbacks show how each of them came to be where they are now. This helps to build a sense of drama and tragedy for the characters and allows the audience to see their flaws.

Another interesting aspect of the movie is the way that it tries to make the viewer believe that the world of the gangsters in the casino is not as pure as it seems. The film constantly smothers the edges of shots in darkness, creating the feeling that the characters in the foreground are not as clean as they appear. This also helps to underscore the idea that the casino is not a place where anything goes, but rather a machine that works like a factory.

Another important theme in the film is that none of the main characters can escape their pasts. Ginger can’t break free of her old pimp, Lester. Ace can’t escape his history as a low-level hood, even though he has moved on from that life. This gives the film a tragic feel that ties it together with themes from religious parables and classic westerns.