Casino

"No one stays at the top forever."

Nov 22 1995 R 2h 58m
Crime, Drama

In early-1970s Las Vegas, Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but over the years, problems with his loose-cannon enforcer Nicky Santoro, his ex-hustler wife Ginger, her con-artist ex Lester Diamond and a handful of corrupt politicians put Sam in ever-increasing danger.

Plot

This Martin Scorsese film depicts the Janus-like quality of Las Vegas--it has a glittering, glamorous face, as well as a brutal, cruel one. Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro, mobsters who move to Las Vegas to make their mark, live and work in this paradoxical world. Seen through their eyes, each as a foil to the other, the details of mob involvement in the casinos of the 1970s and '80s are revealed. Ace is the smooth operator of the Tangiers casino, while Nicky is his boyhood friend and tough strongman, robbing and shaking down the locals. However, they each have a tragic flaw--Ace falls in love with a hustler, Ginger, and Nicky falls into an ever-deepening spiral of drugs and violence.

Written by

Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese

Directed by

Martin Scorsese

Production Countries

United States of America, France

Production Companies

De Fina-Cappa, Légende Entreprises, Syalis DA, Universal Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 4 wins & 11 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
586,982
Average Rating
8.2 out of 10
Metascore
73
Popularity
NA