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.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
Roll past this casino.
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Several flaws, mostly minor, keep Casino on a plateau slightly below that of the director's best (Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas).
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Simultaneously quite watchable and passionless.
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
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.
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
It's an ambitious film -- but also a scattered, unfocused one.
A 2-hour classic wrongfully stretched into three.
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Whether or not Casino meets your expectations, it delivers the rush you only get from an audacious gamble.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Rick Groen
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.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Scorsese tells his story with the energy and pacing he's famous for, and with a wealth of little details that feel just right.