The gang’s spate of house-breaking and jewellery thefts draw unwanted police and media attention.
After cheating leads to Nicky being listed in the Nevada Black Book, he puts together a criminal gang. Whilst Sam runs a daily casino business, Nicky violently ‘deals with’ people who cheat or who owe money and don’t pay up.Īlthough Sam warns his friend to keep a low profile in Las Vegas, Nicky is a loose cannon. Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), Sam’s childhood friend and now a Mafia enforcer, is sent to Las Vegas to protect Sam and the growing casino. Sam running the business turns out to become a great success, ‘skimming’ the casino’s cash and doubling profits the pockets of the bosses. Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), is a low-level mobster, who has been sent by Chicago mafia bosses to run the Tangiers Casino in early-‘70s Las Vegas. An all-star cast, including the likes of Robert de Niro (Ace), Sharon Stone (Ginger McKenna), Joe Pesci (Nicky Santoro) and James Wood, give solid performances in an irony-tinged tale of violent crime, corruption and betrayal. Adapted by Martin Scorsese from a true story, Casino chronicles the rise of Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a brilliant gambler turned casino manager for the Mafia and his subsequent dramatic fall from grace.
