If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on when it comes to casinos, it is that they are incredibly exciting places. From the moment you walk through those shiny doors, the lights and music energize the senses. There are always drinks being poured and champagne glasses clinking around tables as people socialize while trying their luck at games like poker, blackjack, and even slot machines. There’s no telling when luck will strike and that rush is enough to draw in anyone who is curious about what this place is all about.

Casino is a film that does a great job of portraying what it’s really like to gamble in this environment. Unlike many of the movies that are out there, which only focus on the good side of gambling (like Ocean’s 11, where people go on extravagant trips and try their hand at heisting casinos), Casino takes it to another level. It lays bare the mob connections that were deep and dark in Las Vegas in the early 90’s, while also showing off its neon signs, opulence, and of course its gambling halls.

Casino was one of Martin Scorsese’s best films, and it features outstanding performances by Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone. It’s a dark, gritty story of greed and corruption, but it never feels boring or stale. The film moves along with a steady pace and never runs out of steam by the end, which is a remarkable feat for a movie that’s over three hours long.