Casino
Overview
Casino is a 1995 epic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the 1995 non-fiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi. The film stars Robert De Niro as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a Jewish-American gambling expert who is sent to Las Vegas to run the Tangiers Casino; Joe Pesci as Nicky Santoro, a violent, sociopathic mob enforcer who is Ace's childhood friend; and Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna, a beautiful, manipulative, and self-destructive hustler who becomes Ace's wife. The film is set in Las Vegas in the 1970s and early 1980s. The film follows the rise and fall of Ace and Nicky. Ace is a brilliant casino operator, but he is also a control freak. He runs the casino with mathematical precision, and he throws out cheaters. He is loved by the casino owners, but he is hated by the local politicians. Nicky is a loose cannon, a man who cannot control his temper. He is sent to Las Vegas to protect Ace, but he ends up causing chaos. He becomes a celebrity, a "king of the strip," and he begins to believe that he is untouchable. Ginger is a former prostitute who is in love with her former pimp, Lester Diamond (James Woods). She marries Ace for his money, but she cannot stay faithful. The film ends with Ace and Nicky being betrayed by the mob. Nicky and his brother are beaten to death with baseball bats. Ace is banned from all casinos, and he ends up working as a sports handicapper in San Diego. Sharon Stone was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Casino is widely considered one of Scorsese's best films, a brilliant, brutal, and tragic exploration of greed, power, and the American Dream.
