Casino (1995) on Netflix
R19952h 58mBiographyCrimeDrama
The Chicago Mafia sends handicapper Sam "Ace" Rothstein to run the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. His childhood friend Nicky Santoro joins him, and Ace marries the chip hustler Ginger McKenna.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb8.2/10628,200 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes79%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1973 the Chicago Mafia sends the sports handicapper Sam "Ace" Rothstein to Las Vegas to run the Tangiers Casino, with Philip Green as its frontman and Nicky Santoro, a friend of Ace's from childhood, brought in to protect him and the casino. Ace doubles the Tangiers' profits, and a share is skimmed off the top for the Midwest bosses. Barred from working in other Vegas casinos, Nicky gathers a crew that includes his brother Dominick and his right-hand man Frankie Marino and turns to extortion and burglary for profit. Ace falls for Ginger McKenna, a con artist who once worked as a prostitute, and marries her; they have a daughter, Amy. Ginger's drinking and drug use and her bond with Lester Diamond, a pimp who was once her lover, strain the marriage.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Casino (1995)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
Real-life mobster turned witness Frank Cullotta inspired the character Frank Marino, served as technical advisor and played an on-screen hitman; he was unhappy that his character took part in the murder of the Santoro brothers until Scorsese persuaded him that Nicky could only be lured to his death by a trusted friend.- Ace is inspired by Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who ran the Stardust, Fremont, Marina and Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago Outfit from 1968 until 1981, while Nicky and Ginger are based on mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro and former dancer and socialite Geri McGee.
- Filming happened at night in the Riviera casino in Las Vegas, with the nearby defunct Landmark Hotel as the entrance, to replicate the fictional Tangiers; producer Barbara De Fina said there was no reason to construct a set if they could film around an actual casino.
- Over six years Argent Corporation siphoned off between $7 and $15 million using rigged scales, and when the FBI uncovered it the skimming operation was the largest ever exposed, with a number of organized crime figures convicted as a result.
- Saul Bass designed the title sequence, which was his last work; the total cost for the titles was $11,316, not including the fees for the Basses.
- When first submitted to the MPAA the film received an NC-17 rating because of its depictions of violence, and several edits were made to reduce the rating to R.
