Casino

How this film uses it

Ace and Nicky both narrate, and sometimes they talk over each other. Ace explains how the casino works, and Nicky covers the street side. They're so relaxed and funny that you enjoy the inside tour. You end up admiring a criminal system before the film shows you what it costs.

Where to see it

Watching the watchers. Ace explains how everyone in the casino watches everyone else, from the dealers on the floor up to the cameras in the ceiling.

How this film uses it

The film starts with Ace getting into his car, and the car explodes. Then the story goes back to show how he got there. Every good moment in Vegas plays with that explosion hanging over it.

Where to see it

The car bomb. Ace's narration starts as he turns the key, and the blast throws him into the air in slow motion.

How this film uses it

Saul and Elaine Bass designed the opening titles, the last of Saul's career. A dark figure falls through flames and the glowing lights of Las Vegas, with Bach's St. Matthew Passion on the soundtrack. Before the story starts, you already know it's about a fall.

Where to see it

The opening credits. Right after the car bomb, Ace's silhouette tumbles through fire and Vegas neon while the choir sings.

How this film uses it

Scorsese cuts quickly between people, cash and rooms while the narration explains the business. The cuts keep pace with Ace's fast talk. A dry lesson about money ends up moving like a heist scene.

Where to see it

The skim explained. The film follows cash out of the count room and into a suitcase that goes to the mob bosses, who meet in the back of a Kansas City produce market.

How this film uses it

For most of the film, Nicky's voice sits right next to Ace's, chatty and sure of himself. In the cornfield, his narration cuts off mid-sentence as the bats start swinging. Losing his voice is how you know he's gone.

Where to see it

The cornfield. Nicky and his brother Dominick are beaten with baseball bats and buried in a shallow grave.