Casino, The Movie

If you love casinos and are interested in learning a bit about Las Vegas then there is one movie you must see: Martin Scorsese's Casino. Released in 1995 it features many of the same actors from a previous Scorsese movie called Goodfellas including Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevn Pollak, James Woods, Alan King. With an all-star cast of actors like that, you can't go wrong.

Written by Nicholas Pileggi the story behind the movie covers lots of ground. It's about interpersonal relationships, trust, loyalty, disloyalty, money, casinos and gambling. It really portrays the rise and fall of the mob operated casinos in Las Vegas. Although it is a drama, the story is pretty close to historical fact and follows the situation in chronological order as the face of Las Vegas changed. During the 60's and 70's the mob had a very tight grip on Vegas and basically ran the show. By the 80's a new giant was movie in that even the mob couldn't contend with ?the American corporation.

Some argue that Vegas lots its dazzle and suave appeal by the 80's and 90's when big entertainment outfits took hold of the city, started developing casino/hotel all over the place and essential turned it into a family theme park. Companies like MGM still have a very strong presence in the city until today. Needless to say, Vegas is still a lot of fun but it may be more casual today then it was 30 years ago.

The Basic Plot

Sam "Ace" Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro), the consummate bookie who could change the odds merely by placing a bet, has come up through the ranks of the Midwestern mob to be picked by the bosses to front their entree into Vegas. In charge of four casinos, he insures that the money keeps coming in and looks the other way as the skim flows out the back, while keeping a canny eye on the quick hands of every cheat, hustler and blackjack dealer in the place. Ace lives and breathes the odds. He eventually doubles the mob's take and finally changes the very rules of how the casinos are run. Now he is ruler and high priest of all he surveys in his magic kingdom.

But Ace can't control the odds when it comes to Ginger McKenna (played by Sharon Stone), the chip-hustling vamp who charms him and becomes his wife. His infatuation with this glamorous denizen of the gambling room floor turns to obsession as she rises with him to the upper crust of society then turns to the bottle and pill box for consolation in her gilded cage. Though she has broken through an icy protective layer and found her way into Ace's heart, as the story progresses, his love for Ginger becomes tainted by neurotic impulses and insidious possessiveness. This behavior portends Ace's impending downfall as he falls victim to the sin of pride.

For anyone who loves good, dramatic acting, an excellent soundtrack with much of the music supplied by the Rolling Stones, action and some history about the biggest gambling town in America, this one is a movie you must catch.