If you’re a fan of crime dramas then Casino is a must-see. It focuses on greed, corruption and human tragedy. It is filled with betrayals, murder and more. The movie is based on true events and the characters are well-portrayed by their actors. De Niro is superb as Sam “Ace” Rothstein who runs the Stardust hotel (later the Tangiers) in Vegas. He’s backed by mob bosses but is still responsible for his own rackets. His relationship with former hooker and hustler Ginger McKenna is both touching and sad. Joe Pesci adds tension to the film as mob enforcer Nicky Santoro.

The movie also depicts the inner working of a casino. It explains why casinos smell like a bakery and how they are designed to make people stay. It lays bare the web of corruption in Vegas and its tendrils that reach out to politicians, Teamsters unions, Chicago mob families and more. It is based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi who co-wrote the screenplay with Martin Scorsese.

Casino is a lean, mean thriller that doesn’t lag or lose steam at any point. It has all the hallmarks of a great film, from its taut narration to its masterful editing. It’s also filled with details that help to bring the story to life – from the dingy 1970s period décor to Ace ordering the casino cooks to put ‘exactly the same amount of blueberries in every muffin’ to the airborne feds circling a golf course on their way to a mob hit.