Casino is a fascinating study of organized crime in the modern gambling industry. Unlike the many movies that show the bright lights and opulence of Vegas, this movie reveals the city’s dark past with mob ties and how huge gambling corporations took over the desert town.

The movie is based on true events and features some of the most iconic performances in Scorsese’s filmography. Robert De Niro plays the mobster Sam “Ace” Rothstein. The actor is at the top of his game, and he’s aided by an excellent supporting cast – from Joe Pesci as his muscle to the late Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna. The actress was a breakout star and her performance in Casino marks a big step for female characters in Scorsese’s films. The director also made a point of differentiating this film from the rest of his work by shooting in a real casino, dressing the prominent extras in authentic 1970’s costumes and obscuring the background artists with detail happening in the foreground.

Casino lays out an intricate web of corruption with tendrils reaching into politicians, the Teamsters unions, the Chicago mob and a Midwest mafia operating out of Kansas City. Like The Godfather, it makes us feel as if we’re eavesdropping on this secret world.

It also gives us a glimpse into how casinos skim millions from the slot machines, and how they’re able to get away with it. It’s an amazing piece of storytelling that gives us a lot to think about, and one of the most entertaining movies ever.