Film Challenge Week 24: A biopic

Film: Casino (1995)

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Watched on: YouTube

Biopics are one of my favorite film genres, because they transport me to a specific moment in time and portray the lives of people who are so extraordinary. Some biopics that have stayed with me are I, Tonya, Judas and the Black Messiah, Goodfellas, Hidden Figures, The Iron Claw, Bohemian Rhapsody, and so many more. The Iron Claw is a film an initial watch is enough for me due to how tragic it is. Too many tears were shed, and the sadness lingered a whole night after watching it.

Since I enjoyed Goodfellas so much, I wanted to check out another biopic directed by Martin Scorsese.

True to its name, the film centers around Sam "Ace" Rothstein, played by Robert de Niro, who manages the day-to-day operations of the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Naturally, Ace is tied to the Mafia and runs within that circle in Las Vegas. Cash profits are skimmed, money is sent to Mafia bosses in Chicago, and people are murdered when they cross the gang.

Although a peek behind the curtains of a Vegas casino and the Mafia's ties to it sounds compelling, there is something a little lackluster about Casino's execution. I wasn't as engaged as I was in comparison to Goodfellas. Perhaps the characters were very unlikeable, or the pacing was off, but I found myself counting down the minutes till it was over. It didn't help that Casino's runtime is 178 minutes, whereas Goodfellas' is 146 minutes. That's an additional 32 minutes that could have been trimmed, to be honest. I struggle to understand why some films need a 3-hour runtime, and this is one of them.

Perhaps Casino lacked heart, opting for a more journalistic approach to storytelling that didn't hit any emotional core. With all the biopics that I loved, I can list at least 3 emotions that I felt watching them. Unfortunately, I can only list one with Casino: frustration.

I'm keeping this review short and sweet because I truly have nothing more to say other than this was a mediocre watch experience. Hence, I'm a little surprised that I rated this 3.5 stars. It feels a little generous, but I'll stay true to my initial rating and leave it at that.

A little rating recap so far into this film challenge:

• 5 stars: 1 film
• 4.5 stars: 1 film
• 4 stars: 8 films
• 3.5 stars: 3 films
• 3 stars: 5 films
• 2.5 stars: 1 film
• 2 stars: 2 films
• 1 star: 1 film
• 0.5 star: 2 films

I'm glad to see that there have been more wins than flops. Here's to hoping that the trend continues!