A tale of greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia enforcer and a casino executive compete against each other over a gambling empire, and over a fast-living and fast-loving socialite.
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
Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
In this film, a character drops dead of a heart attack after finding out that he's going to be arrested. In Goodfellas (1990), a woman talks about someone dropping dead of a heart attack after finding out that a relative had been arrested. See more »
Goofs
When Sam goes to shake Lester's hand at a diner he uses his left hand as a cigarette is in his right hand. But when he uses his right hand to adjust his jacket the cigarette appears in his left hand and he didn't move it. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Ace Rothstein:
[voice-over]
When you love someone, you've gotta trust them. There's no other way. You've got to give them the key to everything that's yours. Otherwise, what's the point? And for a while, I believed, that's the kind of love I had.
[Ace's car explodes]
See more »
Crazy Credits
SPOILER: Nicky is about to finish his narration, he's cut short by the mobsters wanting to whack him. See more »
Alternate Versions
In India, the theatrical release was heavily cut, despite of being given an A (adults only) certificate. Following were the cuts made:
Reduce to a flash the visuals of the woman undressing and her nudity.
Reduce by 50% the beating of the hand with a hammer.
Reduce by 50% the scene in which the man is tortured with his head in the vice.
Reduce by 50% the scene depicting sexual intercourse between Nicky and Ginger.
Delete the visuals of blood spurting out of the mouth of a man who has been shot in the head.
Delete the visuals of the plastic bag being pulled over the man's bloody face in the car.
Reduce by 50% the beating up of Nicky and his brother especially deleting the visuals of their bloody faces.
Delete all visuals of the battered bodies and delete all close shots of their bloody faces of the men in the grave. General cut: Delete the following phrases wherever they occur: a)Jew Ass b)Mother fucker/mother fucking c)Sisters ass d) Fucking c***t.
The Glory of Love
Written by Billy Hill
Performed by The Velvetones
Courtesy of EMI Records
under License from CEMA Special Markets
Published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc. See more »
If you haven't seen Casino yet, stop whatever it is you're doing, rush to the nearest video store, rent it, and watch it. Along with Mean Streets Casino is probably Scorsese's most underrated and unheralded picture. I would also venture to say that this is probably his most ambitious film. The film deals with a particular time period and a particular atmosphere and accomplishes an overwhelming achievement by creating and accurately portraying both. The art direction is splendid, most likely the best of any film Scorsese has ever done. The acting is superb. I never thought Pesci would be able to top his dynamic performance in Raging Bull until I saw Casino. Every time I watch this picture I fall in love with it all over again. This is the most honest depiction of Las Vegas, especially of the time period it was portrayed in. Scorsese's direction is flawless. Perhaps it is because I watch alot of Scorsese and Kubrick films, but I am becoming less satisfied with plot driven films and more enamored by films that possess the freedom that typical stories just don't seem to hold. Sharon Stone gives the best performance of her career, and as far as the editing is concerned, well if you believe like Kubrick and Pudovkin that a film is not shot, but built who better to have on your team than long time cohort, collaborator, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. Ultimately, the genius of Scorsese is not just in the mastery of the medium, but in the understanding and appreciation for the necessity of great collaborators on all levels that Scorsese has consistently utilized throughout his career. Casino exemplifies not only the best of a Scorsese film, but transcends it. This film is truly a gem.
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If you haven't seen Casino yet, stop whatever it is you're doing, rush to the nearest video store, rent it, and watch it. Along with Mean Streets Casino is probably Scorsese's most underrated and unheralded picture. I would also venture to say that this is probably his most ambitious film. The film deals with a particular time period and a particular atmosphere and accomplishes an overwhelming achievement by creating and accurately portraying both. The art direction is splendid, most likely the best of any film Scorsese has ever done. The acting is superb. I never thought Pesci would be able to top his dynamic performance in Raging Bull until I saw Casino. Every time I watch this picture I fall in love with it all over again. This is the most honest depiction of Las Vegas, especially of the time period it was portrayed in. Scorsese's direction is flawless. Perhaps it is because I watch alot of Scorsese and Kubrick films, but I am becoming less satisfied with plot driven films and more enamored by films that possess the freedom that typical stories just don't seem to hold. Sharon Stone gives the best performance of her career, and as far as the editing is concerned, well if you believe like Kubrick and Pudovkin that a film is not shot, but built who better to have on your team than long time cohort, collaborator, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. Ultimately, the genius of Scorsese is not just in the mastery of the medium, but in the understanding and appreciation for the necessity of great collaborators on all levels that Scorsese has consistently utilized throughout his career. Casino exemplifies not only the best of a Scorsese film, but transcends it. This film is truly a gem.