“Casino” Compelling as Scorsese Changes Gangland Venue

A movie about the motives of mob men with simply a change of venue from his usual NYC neighborhoods isn’t too much of a gamble for Martin Scorsese; but few do this genre better, and the director gives Las Vegas its dressing-down in Casino (B-), by novelist Nicholas Pileggi. In style and structure, it’s often a facsimile of the much better GoodFellas, but Robert DeNiro and Sharon Stone get some great moments, and there’s a nice subtext to the game that’s being played in the floor versus the game being played behind the scenes. Still, it’s hard not to believe that Scorsese left some cards on the table and that he could have taken this story in some more creative directions.