Onstage at the Tribeca Film Festival, running June 4–15 in New York, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro offered an unfiltered look back at the making of Casino, marking the 30th anniversary of the iconic 1995 film. The two legends reflected on their craft and a world that’s shifted dramatically since. Holding the balance between wit and reverence was comedian and moderator W. Kamau Bell — no easy task when you’re seated between the man who directed Taxi Driver and the one who brought Travis Bickle to life.
Scorsese spoke of Casino as though it were a Greek tragedy disguised as a crime noir. And yet, he noted, Las Vegas today is a very different city. “Now you can take your family there and find yourself in the heart of capitalism — the kind that’s replaced organized crime. There used to be wiseguys in baggy suits. Now it’s Ralph Lauren polos and corporate managers.”
As the conversation deepened, it turned more personal. De Niro recalled the pastel suits, the obsessive attention to detail, the hours spent crafting the precise posture of Ace Rothstein — a man who bets on everything except the unexpected. “All those outfits are archived somewhere in Texas,” he said, almost as if to suggest: I did my part. What happens next is up to history.
Then came the closing moment — a flicker of fire from Scorsese, 82 years old but still speaking with the urgency of a debut filmmaker. He railed, gently but pointedly, against shortcuts, against sloppy editing, against the fear of saying too much. “Use your voice,” he urged young directors in the crowd. “While you still can. This is the moment.”
