This dramatic opening segues into the credits that appear over kaleidoscopic Vegas lights with the form of Ace's body tumbling through the air.

The car catches fire and explodes as De Niro's narration reveals that Ace once gave someone the key to everything he owned and he thought he had the kind of love that supported that trust. In this case, we see Ace walk to his car, get in and turn the ignition. Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (Robert De Niro) surveys the floor at the Tangiers casino in Las Vegas.Ĭasino follows GoodFellas' formula of showing a defining moment of the story before the opening credits roll. All of these advantages are paid off on Universal's new Blu-ray release. The scope of the story is more epic and powerful the acting and narration are better than Ray Liotta's performance in the earlier film lighting and camerawork are more innovative and artistic, the editing is executed more brilliantly by longtime Scorsese associate Thelma Schoonmaker and the wardrobe, sets and landscapes are more impressive in Casino. But Casino is superior in many ways that are rarely acknowledged.

Since GoodFellas came first and told a much simpler story about mob loyalty, it is often credited as the better film. The similarities in genre and cast force unavoidable comparisons between the two Scorsese classics. In Casino, that character is Anthony Spilotro, who was renamed Nicky Santoro. Joe Pesci plays a similar character to his trademark performance in GoodFellas. The film renames him Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, with De Niro in the lead role. Casino is the story of the rise and fall of the Tangiers, which was bankrolled by mob bosses and managed by sports handicapper and Vegas innovator Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal. The buzz about GoodFellas was still going strong when Scorsese finished a mafia classic based on yet another Nicholas Pileggi book and featuring many of the same actors as the earlier film. There is simply no better tandem in film history than Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.

Universal's 1080p production of the Scorsese classic is a treat for the eyes.

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