Casino
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    You can't praise highly enough the contributions of the ensemble--De Niro and Pesci especially--but it's Scorsese's triumph. [22 November 1995, Tempo, p.1]
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  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    Scorsese tells his story with the energy and pacing he's famous for, and with a wealth of little details that feel just right.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    100
    Possesses a stylistic boldness and verisimilitude that is virtually matchless.
  4. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    Whether or not Casino meets your expectations, it delivers the rush you only get from an audacious gamble.
  5. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Sean Means
    90
    Eye-popping, exhilarating and occasionally a bit stomach-churning.
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  6. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    88
    A 2-hour classic wrongfully stretched into three.
  7. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    Several flaws, mostly minor, keep Casino on a plateau slightly below that of the director's best (Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas).
  8. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    80
    So long as Casino stays focused on the excesses -- of language, of violence, of ambition -- in the life-styles of the rich and infamous, it remains a smart, knowing, if often repetitive, spectacle.
  9. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    75
    Visually impressive, splendidly performed, thematically significant, this is a movie in full possession of every key cinematic asset except one -- a solid script. Casino is a polished vehicle with an untuned engine.
  10. Film.com
    Reviewed by: John Hartl
    70
    This might have been a very good movie if it had lost about one of its three hours.
    All this critic's reviews
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    70
    One of the ironies of Casino is that even though Scorsese is interested in the story's wider implications, he focuses so much energy on that unsavory romantic triangle that he and the film lose sight of the larger issues.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    70
    Of all the bravura visual effects in Martin Scorsese's dazzingly stylish Casino, it's a glimpse of ordinary people that delivers the greatest jolt. [22 November 1995, p.C9]
    All this critic's reviews
  13. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    70
    Simultaneously quite watchable and passionless.
  14. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff(not credited)
    60
    An accomplished film that carries with it the unshakable feeling that we've seen it all before.
  15. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    60
    As anthropology, it's fascinating, and everything about the production is first class. But the human drama at the heart of this movie is stillborn.
  16. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    It's an ambitious film -- but also a scattered, unfocused one.
  17. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    30
    Roll past this casino.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 105 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 36
  3. Negative: 1 out of 36
  1. grandpajoe6191
    7
    Martin Scorsese's "Casino" is good looking and slick in structure with plenty of good actors performing. However, I didn't watch the whole movie; I knew nothing was going to change during the whole movie.… Full Review »
  2. VaiKelly
    10
    Just when you think you've had enough of Martin Scorcese's gangster movies, comes this captivating new thrill - Casino! Scorcese has Robert de Niro subtle, meticulous, and ruthless, Joe Pesci is every inch the tough-guy gangster who never backs down, but has a temper that is rather too immature and loose. Sam Rothstein (de Niro's character) is efficient and serves his bosses well - he's always sending the goodies back home! Sharon Stone's Ginger is a wreck, drug-induced, unstable, irrational, and apparently, very stupid. Now, how did she lure Rothstein's cool cat personality to fall for her? That's everyday life for you - the smart, cool ones do fall for those types - beautiful, with a personality and body to match, until the gold sheens off the statuette day by day. Pesci's fight scenes are brutal, but real. There is no pretence in these scenes - there is enough violence in the world to disguise such brutal depictions on celluloid. I enjoyed the desert scene, when Rothstein captures the essence in his narration as Pesci's character races through the desert - you didn't know what you could get from Pesci's character. Casino is just a magnificently handled subject, Scorcese has not gone over the top or over-done it, it's impeccably handled, the actors are just apt in their parts, and it is just fascinating to see how the gulf spreads between de Niro and Pesci's characters. Thumps up for Casino - if I may dare say it, it surpasses Goodfellas in its power and impact, and ultimately overpowers Scorcese's later movie, The Departed. Yes it does, I'm betting on it....with Sam Rothstein's back-from-the-dead character on the line!… Full Review »
  3. Tss5078
    10
    Scorsese's epic true story about how the mafia build Vegas, is as close to a perfect movie as I have ever seen! The story is just so good and you will be hard pressed to ever find a better pair of performances than the ones by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. I love this film, I loved it the first time I saw it, and I loved it the hundredth time I saw it. Casino follows a pair of gangsters who earned their reputations in Las Vegas in two very different ways. De Niro is Ace Rothstein, the man with the plan. He always made money, but since he was Jewish, he was never fully trusted. Pesci is of course, Nicky Santoro, the tough guy who says seven thousand times, while doing things his own way. Everything about this movie is pure genius. It's on my top ten list and I suspect will always have its place.… Full Review »
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