Casino

REVIEW
A gangster who lives by his own moral code; a hot-headed hit man with a hair-trigger temper; a fascinating peek into the inner-workings of underworld crime; these are all familiar trappings of director Scorsese's best-known works. And in Casino, his ambitious examination of a mob-controlled Las Vegas, these familiarities both enhance and hinder the director's epic story of love among the slots. De Niro plays a crafty casino manager whose life is intruded upon by two opposing forces -- a volatile mob associate (Pesci) who invades his business and a gorgeous ex-prostitute (Stone) who captures his heart. Casino is at its best during the first half, introducing its gallery of players and detailing the daily operation of the casino; it eventually, somewhat lose its balance and momentum. Stone is terrific in a breakthrough role, though, truthfully, we've seen De Niro and Pesci do all this before.