Mob Films
Martin Scorsese’s crime drama knocked audiences flat back in 1995 with a captivating story headed up by a great cast. From Robert De Niro as the mob-affiliated Sam Rothstein to Joe Pesci playing the vicious gangster Nicky Santoro, and last but definitely not least, Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna. Casino follows a similar formula to Scorsese’s past mob films of being highly entertained for most of it, until the downfall that these characters reach in the world of organized crime.
Casino is loosely based on real events and was one of the first mafia films to leave New York or Chicago and show how the Midwest mob ran Las Vegas. It was cutthroat and violent, but boy did they make a lot of money. There are many films similar to Scorsese’s epic crime drama in terms of tone and location. Well, here are 10 movies like Casino.
21
2008’s 21 is a heist film that was inspired by actual events in which an extracurricular class at MIT learned how to count cards at a casino and then decided to take their talents to Vegas, only to have their excessive lives come crashing down on them. Although 21 is loosely based on real events, there are a lot of overdramatic events to make it intriguing for audiences. Both this film and Casino work well as a pair in theory, being that they show the behind-the-scenes workings of crime in Vegas.
Black Mass
The 2015 adaptation of the novel of the same name depicts the rise and eventual fall of South Boston’s ruthless mob boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, played brilliantly by Johnny Depp under shockingly well-done makeup. Black Mass does not glamorize the life of organized crime.
These were not gangsters in nice clothes and slick hair. They were vicious killers who inflicted fear on the streets they governed. Depp’s performance feels somewhat similar in terms of violence to what Pesci does in Casino. Black Mass is loaded with dread throughout the movie and shows you just how dark and scary the life of organized crime can be. The whole film feels in the same vein as the third act of Casino.
The Cooler
The Cooler stars William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. Macy plays a down-on-his-luck casino worker who is what is called a “cooler.” He has a job that helps save the casino money, as he can help end a gambler’s hot streak at a table. The film shifts into a bit of a love story by the midway point for its lovable loser protagonist.
However, with roles like Alec Baldwin’s (who got an Oscar nomination for the film) playing a tough casino boss, it feels comparable to De Niro’s role in Casino. The culture of Vegas is at the forefront of both films and shows the inner workings of gambling really well.
Bugsy
1991’s Bugsy is based on the novel We Only Kill Each Other and is about the life of Bugsy Siegel. Warren Beatty is in the title role as a gangster who leaves New York City for California and opens up a few racketeering chains that eventually help him shift his focus to Las Vegas and all the construction going on there in the 1940s. Although Bugsy is a bit loose in facts, it lines up well with Casino in showing how the mob helped shape the city of Las Vegas.
Rounders
Rounders is a brilliant film that studies the lifestyle of gambling and how it can cost people their lives. Matt Damon plays a compulsive gambler who is now in debt to some Russians due to a card game. He vows to walk away from the lifestyle of gambling, but once his best friend gets out of jail, the two get into a high-stakes card game, and the earnings could assist them in paying back both their debts.
Rounders and Casino differ in aesthetics, but the culture of gambling and how dangerous the lifestyle can get are on full display in both of them. Plus, others have an ensemble cast. Rounders include the likes of Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Famke Janssen, John Malkovich, and John Turturro.
American Hustle
Very few movies in the last decade have nailed the aesthetic of the 1970s like American Hustle has. The film and Casino both have a ton in common. David O’Russel’s drama is about a pair of con artists who are nailed by the FBI and are forced to work with them in order to catch a New Jersey mayor and his mafia ties.
O’Russel’s shooting style and use of music are often compared to how Scorsese paces his films. There is no doubt a similarity there. Lastly, Robert De Niro shows up in a small role as a gangster at the midway point of the movie.
The Irishman
Martin Scorsese’s potentially last organized crime tale about the man who is believed to be behind the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa is long, bleak, and full of dread in the film’s final act, a lot like his previous work with Casino. It’s another pairing of De Niro and Scorsese as lead actor and director.
Joe Pesci came out of retirement to play gangster Russell Bufalino, a character that feels like the polar opposite of his ‘wise guy’ role in Casino. He’s more calm and methodical, but he’s still a ruthless killer.
Goodfellas
Some hail Goodfellas as the greatest mob movie of all time. Showing the lavish life of a gangster on the outskirts of New York City from the 1950s to the 1980s. Scorsese’s film stars Ray Liotta as Henry Hill. A man who lives the high life and thrills of murdering people, laundering money, and selling drugs, all for it to come crashing down as he has to rat on his friends in order to not be killed by them. Goodfellas was a solid precursor to what was to come five years later when Scorsese went and made Casino.
The Godfather Part II
Hailed as one of the greatest films of all time as well as the greatest sequel of all time, The Godfather Part II picks up not long after the first one left off. The movie gives us flashbacks of a young Vito Corleone immigrating to America, which is parallel to Michael Corleone moving his family and their business to Las Vegas to expand. It’s another good hard look at how the mob helped shape Las Vegas, and it sure does help that De Niro is in both of these films in career-defining roles.
Blow
Blow is quite arguably one of the greatest movies about the world of drug dealing. Johnny Depp makes his second appearance on this list in the film about the true account of George Jung (played by Depp), a man who was once a high school football star who then became the leading supplier of cocaine in America in the 1970s. The excess of the lifestyle is all there, and boy does it get dark when it crashes in burns.
A through line in the film is Jung’s relationship with his father, Fred, who is played perfectly by Ray Liotta, and the touching arc that father and son have with one another. The film paces a lot like Casino, with fast-paced cuts, stimulating needle-drop moments of music, and character arcs you cannot help but get invested in. The world is different, but the movie themes are mirror images of one another.
So there we have it, our 10 movie alternatives to watch when you’re finished watching Casino.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!