Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone
Director: Martin Scorsese
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment 61105457
Video: 2.40:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 color, 1080p HD
Audio: DTS HD Master Audio 5.1; French, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese DTS 5.1
Extras: Audio Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, U-Control PIP functions
Subtitles: English and 14 other languages!
Feature Length: 179 minutes
Rating: ****
Martin Scorsese’s Casino, if perhaps a bit overly long, is surely one of the great mob/gangster films of all times, and if Scorsese hadn’t already thrown in a serious contender for the crown with his classic Goodfellas, this underrated classic would probably be held in a bit higher regard. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci play Ace and Nicky, a couple of hoods who head to 1973 Las Vegas – a much less family-friendly place than it’s current incarnation. They there set out to build a dynasty of crime, with Ace (De Niro) providing the brains and Nicky (Pesci) dealing out the hard knocks. Trouble begins to brew when the two begin to play (or be played by) a gold-digging call girl named Ginger, played by Sharon Stone, who was nominated for an Oscar and won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a turn that is undoubtedly the finest of her career. She absolutely sizzles onscreen, giving her turn in Basic Instinct more than a run for the money!
If there’s a critical knock on Casino, it’s that the violence is a little too excessive, and way too graphic. In Coppola’s The Godfather, we all know who gets whacked, we just don’t see it all in the excruciating detail, and its effectiveness isn’t diminished one iota. Scorcese just seems preoccupied with the brutality of the violence, a characteristic that’s been noted in many of his films, and perhaps has somewhat held him back from the acclaim he might otherwise have had heaped on him were he to more artfully approach the subject. It just all seems more than a bit gratuitous, even though there’s some really artful storytelling going on all the while.
From a technical standpoint, this Blu-ray transfer is superb, easily the best this film’s ever seen. Colors are bright and dynamic, contrast is superb, and the onscreen image is razor sharp without any hint of dirt or artifacts. It was also just amazing to observe the level of detail made apparent by the Blu-ray transfer; objects that previously were a blur were exceptionally crisp and clear. The audio is also given a substantial upgrade over the already good DVD release, and the DTS MA 5.1 soundtrack really struts its stuff during the frequent casino-based action scenes. And in a most unusual move, the Blu-Ray sports DD 5.1 options in five additional languages, and subtitles in 15 languages! The disc also offers a surprising range of bonus material, including about an hour’s worth of HD features available through Universal’s U-Control PIP function.
Fans of this film will find this excellent package a no-brainer; it’s an exceptional combination of a really good (if violent) film, loaded with lots of bonus materials, all in the finest audio and video transfer it’s likely to ever receive. Very highly recommended!
— Tom Gibbs
