After the success of Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese adapted Nicholas Pileggi’s Casino and brought together his most trusted collaborators, including Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. A movie about corruption and greed, it was a dark and daring film that spoke to even those who didn’t like mafia movies.

Casino is one of the few movies that manages to hold the audience’s attention for a full three hours. This is thanks to masterful editing and taut narration. Scorsese’s style evolves from a fast-cut documentary approach to something more conventional as the film progresses, but it never lags in the middle or runs out of steam by the end.

The flashing lights, blaring music, and constant movement of casinos creates an intoxicating atmosphere that makes people want to gamble. This atmosphere also clouds their sense of time and money spent, making them more likely to make spur-of-the-moment decisions that they will later regret.

To keep players gambling, casinos offer rewards for continued play called “comps.” These can include free meals, drinks, hotel rooms, and access to exclusive events. This encourages players to spend more time and money in the casino, which in turn leads to greater loyalty and increased spending.

While De Niro and Pesci are great, it is Sharon Stone who really shines as Ginger McKenna. Following her star-making turn in Basic Instinct, she delivers a performance that builds on and then subverts the infamous blonde hustler archetype. As the film’s energy spikes toward the end, it is largely due to her fiery performance that keeps the audience engaged.