Overview
In the glitzy underbelly of Las Vegas, ambition comes at a steep price.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- glamorous
- kinetic
- paranoid
- crime movie marathon
- scorsese night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s ambitious historical crime portrait, bravura style, and outstanding performances while finding its familiar gangster narrative less fresh than Goodfellas.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Tangiers casino links mob influence, gambling revenue, corporate management, political protection, and skimming.
Las Vegas spectacle, luxury, and bright casino surfaces are repeatedly set against intimidation, murder, addiction, and coercion.
Ace Rothstein’s control over the Tangiers deteriorates as his relationship with Ginger becomes entangled with deception and instability.
Ace and Nicky’s perspectives, explanatory voiceovers, and broad historical scope create a detailed account rather than a tightly focused conventional arc.
Films like Casino, and why
Goodfellas
shared organized crime, rise and collapse narrative, voiceover-driven gangster storytelling, and morally corrosive ambition
The Godfather
shared mafia power structures, family betrayal, criminal empire, and tragic downfall
The Gambler
shared gambling culture, crime drama, male rivalry, and neon-lit urban excess
Scarface
shared epic crime storytelling, obsessive ambition, corruption, and stylized violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 1995-11-22
- Runtime
- 179 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (6758)
Cast
- Robert De Niro
- Sharon Stone
- Joe Pesci
- James Woods
- Don Rickles
- Alan King
- Kevin Pollak
- L.Q. Jones
- Dick Smothers
- Frank Vincent
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Casino about?
- A casino operator, his violent childhood friend, and a hustler collide amid the glittering corruption of mob-controlled Las Vegas.
- What is Casino like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Casino as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Casino violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Casino as graphic.
- What did critics think of Casino?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s ambitious historical crime portrait, bravura style, and outstanding performances while finding its familiar gangster narrative less fresh than Goodfellas.
- Which films are like Casino?
- Films with a similar feel include Goodfellas, The Godfather, The Gambler, and Scarface.
- How long is Casino?
- Casino runs 179 minutes.
- Where can I watch Casino?
- In United States, Casino streams on YouTube TV.
