Films › Martin Scorsese

Casino (1995)

Film

DirectorMartin Scorsese

Meta takes3

Figures

Characters

The character of Ginger McKenna Rothstein

Locations

The relationship between the Las Vegas crew and the Kansas City bosses
The use of "The House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals → Anempathetic Sound

Form & technique

The dual voice-over narration → The Unreliable Narrator
The film's final sequence showing the corporate-run Las Vegas → The Postmodern Collage
The visual aesthetic of Las Vegas (neon lights, casino interiors)
The film's retrospective narrative and obsession with period detail

Tropes

The casino "skim" operation
Sam Rothstein's identity as a Jewish "bookie" rather than an Italian "made man"
Sam Rothstein's monologues on efficiency and control

Films most connected to Casino

Interview with the Vampire (1994) — via The Postmodern Collage, The Unreliable Narrator
The Butcher Boy (1997) — via Anempathetic Sound, The Unreliable Narrator
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) — via Anempathetic Sound, The Unreliable Narrator
Ocean's Eleven (2001) — via Anempathetic Sound, The Postmodern Collage
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) — via Anempathetic Sound, The Postmodern Collage
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) — via Anempathetic Sound, The Postmodern Collage
The White Ribbon (2009) — via The Unreliable Narrator
Fight Club (1999) — via The Unreliable Narrator